Keonjhar: The Forest Department has initiated action against the posting of videos on social media that show harassment, capture or disturbance of wildlife for monetary gain, ignoring existing restrictions.
Keonjhar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dhanraj HD has written to YouTube January 15 seeking the removal of a video which allegedly shows illegal wildlife hunting activity.
The move has drawn public attention. According to officials, a video titled “King Cobra Egg Rescue and Release in Keonjhar” was uploaded August 7, 2019, from a YouTube account named “Mirza Md Arif”.
The video shows a king cobra laying eggs in a nest made of dry leaves inside a protected forest area under the Ghatgaon range of Keonjhar forest division.
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Without informing the Forest department, the individual allegedly destroyed the nest and removed the eggs, only to dump them later in another forest area.
Officials said destroying a nest and removing eggs from within a protected forest is illegal.
The king cobra, also known as Ophiophagus hannah, is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, making any disturbance to the animal, its nest or eggs a punishable offence.
Under Section 2(16) of the Act, destroying the nest of any bird or reptile and removing its eggs constitutes hunting.
Citing these provisions, the DFO has issued a notice to YouTube seeking immediate removal of the video.
The department has warned that in the next stage, it may invoke Section 52 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, related to abetment, against the platform if necessary, officials said.
The Forest department said it will issue a statutory summons to officials of YouTube, asking them to appear in Keonjhar to record statements in connection with an alleged wildlife law violation.
Officials said a file related to transactions carried out by a social media company on the account of snake handler Mirza was forwarded to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2023 for scrutiny.
The Keonjhar DFO is expected to open the file, sources said. Subhendu Mallik, general secretary of the Snake Helpline, said Section 58(c) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act bars any company from deriving illegal benefit from wildlife offences.
Since platforms such as YouTube are allegedly involved, he said a case should be registered under Section 58 of the Act.
Mallik added that several videos showing snakes being caught with Mirza’s assistance are available on social media. He called for the arrest of those who illegally posted such videos along with Mirza, and demanded an ED probe into the financial aspects.
In March 2013, then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Chief Wildlife Warden Sushant Nanda declared that capturing wildlife for photographs or videos is illegal.
Bhadrak-based snake handler Mirza Mohammad Arif was later arrested for violating the order by posting snake-catching videos.
Subsequently, Monalisa Bhadra and her husband, Badri Narayan Bhadra, were arrested in Jajpur for videos showing monkeys being captured and fed.
Despite those cases, illegal videos and photographs of captured wildlife continue to circulate on social media, allegedly due to lax enforcement.
The Keonjhar DFO’s move to initiate action against social media companies has been welcomed by various quarters.