Our country’s wildlife has faced a rising threat from superstitious beliefs over the years. From the belief that elephant tusks and elephant hair bring good luck to the faith that sacrificing owls in rituals can bring good fortune; many such concepts continue to exist even today, threatening the lives of wild all over the country.
It is pure financial profit motive on part of the wildlife traffickers to be involved in wildlife trafficking, whereas myths and superstitions are major underlying factors fueling this illegal wildlife trade and driving many wildlife species on the verge of extinction.
India’s national animal tiger and leopard has also borne the brunt of several popular myths and superstitions. Apart from trophy hunting and being hunted for their bones and other body parts for their use in traditional Chinese medicines and wines (with no scientific evidence of them being effective), tigers and leopards are hunted for tantric (black magic) rituals also. The claws of a tiger are believed to bring good luck, and the genitals are believed to be aphrodisiacs. Tiger pelts are in great demand in the black market and so are their teeth and whiskers, which are said to ward off the evil eye.
Greater one-horned Indian Rhinoceros have been poached in huge numbers for their horns due to several reasons . One of the reasons is a myth around rhino horn having medicinal properties. Rhino horns are used as medicine in traditional Chinese medicine which is assumed to treat various ailments including hangovers, fever, gout and potentially terminal illnesses, like cancer or stroke (without any scientific proof) in Vietnam, China and several other countries. Having a Rhino horn is also a status symbol for rich section of society in Vietnam. In Vietnam, rich people share it within social and professional networks to demonstrate their wealth and strengthen business relationships. Gifting whole rhino horns is also used as a way to get favours from those in power.
Pangolin is the most trafficked mammal in the world. There are eight species of pangolins which are facing declining population because of illegal trade. In 2016, the 186 countries party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the treaty that regulates the international wildlife trade, voted to ban the commercial trade in pangolins by putting all species of pangolin in Appendix I. Tens of thousands of pangolins are poached every year, killed for their scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine and for their meat, a delicacy among some ultra-wealthy in China and Vietnam. Pangolin scales having medicinal properties is nothing but a myth only as pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same material that makes up fingernails, hair, and horn. Pangolin scales, like rhino horn, have no proven medicinal value, yet they are used in traditional Chinese medicine to help with ailments ranging from lactation difficulties to arthritis. The scales typically dried and ground up into powder, which may be turned into a pill. For many years, the Asian species were the primary target of poachers and traffickers.
Bear bile has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years, with the first reference appearing in an eighth century medical text prescribing bear bile for maladies like epilepsy, hemorrhoids, and heart pain. In bear bile, a fluid that’s secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, contains a significant amount of ursodeoxycholic acid—more than other animals like pigs or cows. This acid is medically proven to help dissolve gallstones and treat liver disease. Bear bile, however, is also marketed as a cure for cancer, colds, hangovers, and more, though there is no scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness for these ailments and it’s only myth. It’s also sometimes used as an ingredient in household products like toothpaste, acne treatment, tea, and shampoo as a way to expand the market for bear bile beyond traditional medicine.
Huge quantity of turtles are smuggled as they are in big demand in China where some are sold in the black market . Rich people buy these turtles because there is a myth that the red and gold markings on their shells are signs of good luck and good fortune. Even traditional Chinese medicine also believes that turtles can be eaten to enhance libido and cure other ailments without any scientific evidence to prove that. The Indian star tortoise is considered to be a symbol of good luck. It is also believed to hold great value in traditional eastern medicine and its meat is considered a delicacy in other places. The star tortoises are poached from the wild and smuggled via railway, airplanes, or even ships nationally and globally. There is also a high demand for Indian Star tortoises in the exotic pet trade as they have a unique star-like radiating pattern on their carapace (shell).
Owls have been associated with folklore and mythology since time immemorial. They have always been associated with spooky tales and folklore, but a different set of religious beliefs in India threatens their survival. Driven by these beliefs, owls are poached for their body parts such as talons, skulls, bones, feathers, meat and blood, which are then used in talismans, black magic, traditional medicines etc.
When a problem has its root in cultural beliefs, customs, popular myths and superstitions, that problem can’t be solved merely by law enforcement actions. Along with law enforcement actions, public education, awareness, inculcating scientific temperament in the community will go a long way in bringing in “behavioral change” in the community which will result in demand reduction of wildlife, their parts and derivatives with ultimate result of end of wildlife crimes which are fuelled by such cultural beliefs, customs, popular myths and superstitions.
Article 48A of Indian Constitution lays down the Directive Principles of State Policy for protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife. Article 51 A (g) of the Indian Constitution states: "It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures."
Adopting scientific temperament and shifting from non-scientifically proven traditional medicines to scientifically proven alternative medicines will definitely go a long way in tackling the menace of illegal wildlife trade caused by myths and superstitions associated with wildlife.
(The writer is Deputy Director, Inquiry, in Lokayukta, Odisha & ex-DFO, Athgarh; Mob: 9439373730)