On Wednesday, a video leaked on social media showing residents in Nagaland’s Wokha area torturing and killing a Great Indian Hornbill. The Wildlife and Arms Act was used to arrest three persons in Nagaland for torturing and killing the bird.
Since 2018, the IUCN Red List has designated the Great Indian Hornbill as vulnerable. The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill 2021 controls the protection of wild animals, birds, and plants, as well as attempting to expand the number of species protected by law.
A person can be seen striking the Hornbill with a stick and stamping on the bird’s neck in the disturbing video. The video was posted on Instagram by the account @dcexpeditions with the following caption: “What a gruesome video. Such a beautiful bird, an endangered and Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife Protection Act, is being tortured and beaten to death!!! This is the state where the Hornbill Festival is held.”
According to press sources, Nagaland police arrested three persons for torturing and killing the bird under the Wildlife and Arms Act. Several bird and animal species have witnessed population declines as a result of increased urbanisation and climate change, and the Great Indian Hornbill is also an endangered species. The video of the bird’s gruesome demise has stunned the internet and sparked widespread outrage.
