In what appears to be poaching of Indian grey mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii) for meat and fur, a raw material for painting and cosmetic brushes, snares to trap the animal were found on the bunds of an urban water body in Coimbatore.
While one mongoose was found dead with its tail missing, another one was found ensnared. The traps were found at Singanallur tank that was declared a Biodiversity Conservation Zone by the Coimbatore Corporation in 2017. G.R. Ramya, a nature enthusiast from the city who had gone to the tank for bird watching along with her friend on Saturday, found an Indian grey mongoose trapped on the eastern bund of the urban water body.
“One of the legs of the mongoose was ensnared. As we were trying to rescue the mongoose, the snare made of metal wire got loosened and it was freed. We found snares placed in the area and another mongoose was found dead. Its tail was cut off and missing,” she said.
They also found a bag containing coils of steel wires, copper wires, two knives, iron rods and other trap-type materials from the bund and the matter was informed to the Forest Department.
“As the tail of the dead mongoose was missing, we suspect the animal could have been trapped for its tail which has long furs. Brushes made of mongoose fur are used for making cosmetic and artists' paintbrush,” said Ms. Ramya.
Indian grey mongoose, Ruddy mongoose, Small Indian mongoose, Crab-eating mongoose, Stripe-necked mongoose and Brown mongoose are types of mongoose found in India and all the species are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, poaching of which may lead to imprisonment up to seven years and or a hefty fine.
They are also covered under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), an international agreement between governments, with a complete ban on its commercial trade throughout the world.
In July 2017, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) had seized around 25,000 painting brushes from six shops in Coimbatore, suspecting that the bristles were made of mongoose fur.
“Samples of these brushes were sent to Government laboratory for analysis and it was found that they were indeed made of mongoose fur,” said a Forest Department official, and added that court proceedings of these cases were underway.
A senior official with WCCB told The Hindu that players involved in the making of brushes made of mongoose fur had admitted after a major bust in the past that the southern States were collection points of the exotic fur.
D. Venkatesh, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore Forest Division, said that a team had been appointed to inquire into the poaching.
In 2017, nature enthusiasts had found snares that trapped eight squirrels on the tank bund.
