The Centre Chakhesang Youth Organization (CCYO) strongly condemns the misleading, concocted and false statement made by the PCCF & HoFF, Nagaland, Mr. Vedpal, on 6 October at Mokokchung during Wildlife Week, wherein he stated that Vezhoto Hesuh was not detained for taking photographs, but for removing birds from their natural habitat and rearing them.

The CCYO considers this statement a deliberate attempt to create a false narrative and justify the high-handed detention of our youth, Vezhoto Hesuh, while disregarding and insulting the customary and traditional practices of the Naga people, which are constitutionally protected under Article 371A of the Constitution of India.
Fact No. 1: The Owl Was Rescued, Not Captured

The owl in question was not captured from the jungle. It was rescued by a minor boy from Porba Village, who found it near a footpath leading to the fields on a rainy day. The bird was completely wet, shivering and apparently helpless. The boy picked it up, dried it and cared for it, thereby saving its life. Had it not been rescued at that point, it could have died from exposure to the rain and cold.

Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play

The owl was never kept in a cage. As clearly visible in the photograph that was circulated, the bird was sitting freely on the shoulder of Vezhoto Hesuh. It had become so accustomed to human care that it would fly into the jungle and return on its own.

Eventually, the owl flew away to its natural habitat.
Where is the crime in rescuing and saving a helpless bird? And where is the cage?
Fact No. 2: The Great Barbet Was Rescued Injured and Is Regarded as Our Traditional Clock
The Great Barbet was found injured by a minor boy while he was returning from the field. The bird was unable to fly. The boy therefore took it home and cared for it for several years with love and affection. Had the injured bird been left unattended at that time, it could have died.

For our community, the Great Barbet is not merely a bird. It has traditionally been regarded as a natural or traditional clock and companion of the village, with its distinctive call serving as a familiar indication of time and the changing hours of the day.

The caring and rearing of rescued or injured birds and animals have been part of our customary practices and traditional relationship with nature for generations.

Mr. Vedpal is therefore advised not to make statements that insult, ridicule or disregard the customs and traditions of the Naga people while relying solely upon laws and administrative practices that the people believe fail to adequately recognise their customary relationship with nature.

Fact No. 3: The Forest Department Could Not Even Take Proper Care of the Bird for a Few Days
As the Head of the Department, Mr. Vedpal should be aware that the Great Barbet taken from Porba was reportedly in a healthy condition when it was seized by the officials.

However, when the bird was subsequently returned, it was reportedly so weak that it could not even fly properly.
This raises a serious question: If the Forest Department, as the agency responsible for wildlife protection, could not maintain the health of the bird for a few days, how can it lecture villagers about caring for rescued wildlife?
The villagers once again nursed the bird, fed it and helped restore its strength before it returned to the jungle.
A video of the Great Barbet feeding on wild berries in the jungle was also shared with the Forest Department.

Our Questions to the PCCF & HoFF

1. You cannot preach one thing and practise another.

You say that people cannot rear birds or remove them from their natural habitat. If that is your position, then we ask: where do the animals and birds kept in the Nagaland Zoological Park come from? Are they not removed from their natural surroundings or otherwise brought under human confinement? Or does the Nagaland Forest Department manufacture wildlife in laboratories?

2. Why are animals kept in captivity in zoos for public viewing?

If the Department can keep animals confined in a zoo for visitors to see, why is a member of the public who rescues an injured or helpless bird and cares for it with affection immediately treated as an offender?

3. Why was Vezhoto Hesuh detained when he did not collect or remove the birds from their habitat?
The birds in question were rescued and cared for by villagers of Porba. What was the specific basis for detaining Vezhoto Hesuh in connection with those birds?

4. Was Vezhoto’s alleged confession obtained under pressure or coercion?
We understand that your officials allegedly pressured Vezhoto into stating that he had reared the bird. However, thousands of villagers know how and where the birds were rescued and cared for. Is obtaining a confession under pressure the Department’s method of enforcing wildlife protection?

5. Will the same standards be applied to influential people?
If the Department is genuinely committed to enforcing wildlife laws, will it also investigate and take action against influential persons, VIPs and politicians in Nagaland who are alleged to keep wild animals and birds in private farmhouses, estates and bungalows?

Or is this so-called law enforcement intended only for ordinary people like Vezhoto Hesuh while the powerful and well-connected remain untouched?

Wildlife Week Should Not Become a Platform for Justifying Vezhoto’s Detention
We question the Department of Forest, Environment & Climate Change as to whether the Wildlife Week programme at Mokokchung was organised to promote genuine awareness and conservation or to provide a platform for repeating a one-sided and manufactured narrative to justify the detention of Vezhoto Hesuh.

Instead of addressing the serious questions surrounding his detention, the Department appears to have used the occasion to repeat allegations against him.

Wildlife conservation cannot be built upon intimidation, selective enforcement, disregard for local communities or denigration of customary practices.

We therefore call upon the PCCF & HoFF to show due respect and regard for the customary practices, traditions and rights of the Naga people. Nagas are not without their own traditions, institutions and relationship with their land, forests and wildlife.

The CCYO demands an immediate and clear clarification from the PCCF & HoFF on each of the questions raised above and calls upon the Department to refrain from making misleading statements concerning Vezhoto Hesuh and the people of Porba.

Centre Chakhesang Youth Organization (CCYO)