Wary of gypsy communities consuming bushmeat, Corporation distributes ration

With the meat of wild animals, commonly called bushmeat, making global headlines due to corona outbreak, the officials from Greater Chennai Corporation and wildlife are now reaching out to gypsies stranded in Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chennai, advising them not to consume cat, field rat and migratory birds like egrets.

To ensure that they do not go hungry, the gypsies were given free ration supplies during the awareness programme. The Corporation flying squads are also periodically checking the community members to ensure that they are not moving out in search of jobs or food.

Within the city, Corporation officials are focusing on Kotturpuram where 180 gypsy families are residing.

Explaining the risk in consuming bushmeat, the officials told them about the suspected link that the pandemic has with the wet market in Wuhan, China, the epicentre of COVID-19. Meat of wild animals is sold at such markets in China, where it has a lot of takers.

Similarly, Tirumullaivoyal in Tiruvallur district, another hub of gypsies with more than 150 families, is also now on the radar of foresters and Corporation officials. Besides these, the wildlife officials are also monitoring the gypsy settlements in Kancheepuram, Selaiyur, Pallavaram and Chengalpattu.

“Consumption of migratory birds like egret, stork and ducks are prevalent in north Tamil Nadu, particularly in Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvallur and Cuddalore,” said a senior forest official.

Apart from migratory birds, monitor lizard is the most sought-after bush meat in Tamil Nadu. There are also cases of wild boar, deer and jackal being poached for meat. However, there is no record of poaching bats in Tamil Nadu, the official said, adding how more awareness is required among the public to refrain from buying bush meat from gypsies and few tribal communities who poach them.

Recently, the Union Environment Ministry and the field directors of the tiger reserves in Central India had sent an alert asking the south Indian states to increase the patrol in forests as poachers from central India have entered into the Western Ghats, which spread over Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, the official added.