Guwahati: Every wild mammal species captured on camera traps in two forested areas of Nagaland—Intangki National Park and Khelia Community Forest—is actively hunted by local communities, according to a new study that raises urgent questions for wildlife conservation in this ecologically rich but politically complex region of northeast India.
Published in Oryx – The International Journal of Conservation, the two-year investigation was led by researchers from the University of Newcastle, Australia, and the Wildlife Institute of India. Using 156 camera traps and interviews with 45 hunters and 80 village residents, the team documented the widespread use of both traditional and modern hunting methods, including firearms, snares and pitfall traps.
Everything is targeted
Camera-trap data revealed 31 mammalian species—and every one was found to be hunted. Among the most sought-after were barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and bears (Ursus thibetanus, Helarctos malayanus). Barking deer were especially prized for their availability, taste and market value, while bears were taken for bile, meat and claws that hold both cultural and commercial significance.
Who hunts, how and when
Of the 45 hunters interviewed, five were aged 15–25, fourteen were 25–35, sixteen were 35–45, eight were 45–69 and two were 70. More than half (56 %) said they began hunting between 16 and 25, though many had trapped small animals and birds even earlier. Forty per cent hunted once or twice a month, and 62 % preferred the dry winter season when vegetation is sparse. Thirty-eight per cent hunted on moonless nights using flashlights, often alone or in pairs. Hunters from Khelia reported trekking up to 13 hours to reach wildlife-rich areas.
Seventy-eight per cent of respondents owned firearms—many handmade and unlicensed—marking a shift from bows and spears that has increased hunting efficiency and enabled more opportunistic targeting of large mammals.
The researchers also recorded distinctive traditional practices. In Khelia, conical bamboo baskets are set between posts along streams in summer to trap frogs swept downstream by strong currents; a single week can yield up to 500 frogs for food and sale. Nearby, in Intangki, Kachari and Dimasa communities still use the creeper Millettia pachycarpa to poison river water for fishing—evidence of enduring ethnobotanical knowledge.
A legal grey zone
Nagaland is a special case under Article 371A of the Indian Constitution, which gives Naga tribes the right to govern land and resources under customary law. Roughly 88 % of the state’s forests are community-owned, and national wildlife-protection laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are rarely enforced.
The authors warn that selective hunting of large-bodied mammals with firearms not only threatens those species but also undermines large carnivores such as tigers (Panthera tigris) that depend on them. While bows and spears have declined, traps and snares remain common among children, who use them to catch small animals and birds for sport or food. A generational shift is evident: with fewer older hunters, traditional codes—such as seasonal limits during breeding or taboos on certain species—are fading.
Nearly half of interviewees expressed concern about forest degradation and biodiversity loss, but few were engaged in conservation. Respondents cited lack of time, limited financial incentives and distrust of externally imposed rules. Women valued the aesthetic and ecological aspects of biodiversity more than men and were less involved in hunting, suggesting opportunities for gender-inclusive conservation programmes.
The COVID-19 pandemic further intensified wildlife exploitation as some communities increased hunting to offset economic hardship.
Policy pathways
“Conservation efforts must respect community rights while addressing illegal hunting and trafficking,” the authors write. They call for interdisciplinary strategies that combine education, strengthened local governance and economic incentives—including stricter control of cross-border wildlife trade with Myanmar—to safeguard this biodiversity hotspot.
Despite differing views, most respondents said they had little motivation to engage in conservation, mainly because subsistence farming left them with neither time nor resources. The absence of clear incentives from conservation initiatives further eroded interest.
The study concludes that “comprehensive policies are needed to sustain the economic and cultural values of communities like those in Nagaland.” Incentivised monitoring, community-led management and targeted enforcement are essential if these forests—and the mammals that inhabit them—are to survive.
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