Say No to Mangoose hair's paint brushes - Kadyan

Mongoose hair worth Rs 6 lakh seized

By HT

Friday December 21, 12:47 AM

A TEAM of forest officials has busted a gang which was involved in making brushes with hair of endangered mongoose. Six sacks of mongoose hair of worth Rs 6 lakh and semi-finished brushes were recovered from the gang.

After receiving a tip off about the gang, a team of forest officials led by DFO Chandrabhawan and ACF Joga singh raided the house of Mohd Dilshad in Loharpura locality of Lisari Gate area. The team members found a huge quantity of mongoose hair from the house.

Gang leader Shamsad and seven labourers escaped during the raid but the team managed to arrest Dilshad from the spot. He told the team that the hair was purchased from Sherkot village of Bijnore district and that Sherkot is a big supply market of mongoose hair.

According to Dr R.P.Bharti, conservator of forest, an adult mongoose can yield only 40 to 50 grams hair. "To collect such a huge quantity of hair as found during the raid, more than 5000 mongoose would have to be killed. In view of the declining population of mongoose, the animal was enlisted part II of schedule 2 of Wildlife Act which makes its killing a non bailable offence with at least 10 years imprisonment and fine of Rs 10,000," Dr Bharti said.

"It is a non compoundable offence," added the conservator elaborating that Sherkot, Jwalapur and Hardwar area in Uttarakhand have become big suppliers of mongoose hair. "I have asked the forest and wildlife officials of the respective areas to keep a close watch on the killing of mongoose," he said, adding that the arrested person will be booked under Wildlife Act and teams have been dispatched to arrest the absconding members of the gang.