India may be the next destination to open hunting for international sportsmen. We have that from a November 6 article in the Times of India newspaper, and from an individual who is maneuvering to become an agent for those hunts. For now, he has asked us to keep him anonymous until things are more developed.
Here’s what we can tell you at this point: The central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh is seriously considering a Campfire-type program in which local villages will benefit from licensed trophy hunting. Apparently, exploding populations of wild boar, blackbuck antelope and axis deer are devastating crops in certain areas of India. In Madhya Pradesh alone the loss totals more than $2.5 million annually. Additionally, the animals are overgrazing sensitive habitats of the endangered hard-ground barasingha deer, already under pressure from human encroachment and excess populations of predators.
Our contact in India has confirmed that a trophy hunting program is in the works as a much needed conservation tool. However, there are various hurdles that must be cleared before the program can be implemented. The main problem is overcoming the public’s anti-hunting sentiment, entrenched in much of India since the country shut down hunting in 1972. There is also resistance within the Union Ministry of Environment and Forestry from officials who do not understand the conservation aspects of trophy hunting and are concerned about hunting near human populations. One official quoted by the Times of India linked trophy hunting with areas of low population densities and “apartheid-hit Africa.”.....
