Nearly 100,000 Mongooses Are Killed To Create Painbrushes From Their Hair

A recently conducted operation uncovered brutal details about the extent of illegal animal trade in India, proving we don't care about wildlife.

Officials seized more than 50,000 paintbrushes made out of mongoose hair during an 'Operation Clean Art.' More than 100 kilograms of raw mongoose hair was also seized before the local police arrested more than 40 people connected to this barbaric case of trafficking according to Quartz India.

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) with assistance from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MOEFandCC) made such raid. More than 20 raids were made in 2019 in the 6 towns in India.

Approximately 280 kilograms of loose mongoose hair has been recovered along with thousands of brushes in the last 3 years.

HV Girisha, regional deputy director of WCCB who was part of the operations, said about 50 animals are killed for every kilogram of mongoose hair that is used in brushes. "This is because only about 20 grams of good hair comes from every mongoose," Girisha explained.

He said the law enforcers are doing their best to disrupt the supply and production network. "Unfortunately, awareness about this wildlife crime is low and there will be people killing mongoose for their hair as long as there is a demand," Girisha added.

An annual affair

The illegal trade of Mongoose is a thriving multi-crore industry that results in the death of thousands of mongooses across India every month. The paintbrushes are primarily used by artists looking for finesse in their work, thus resulting in the endangering of the species for the sake of finer brush strokes. 

Mongooses are found in different habitats across India and often hunted by traditional hunting communities in central and northern parts of the country, all of which are main suppliers of the animal's raw hair into the business.

Six different kinds of mongoose are found across India - including the stripe-necked and brown mongoose, Indian grey, small Indian, ruddy, and crab-eating species.

The most commonly found and most hunted species are the Indian grey mongoose. Most brushes are made in the "brush-producing capital" of India - Sherkot town of Uttar Pradesh.

While most of the raids and seizure operations in relation to mongoose hair have been focused on this town, officials have also intercepted supply chains in various states in India - including Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.

Illegal Mongoose hair have severe consequences on wildlife population - experts

Wildlife crime experts believe that the illegal mongoose hair trade have severe consequences on the animal's population.

"We won't notice its disappearance because who really looks at mongoose; however, they would suddenly just not be there one day," according to Jose Louies, chief of the wildlife crime control division at the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). 

Grisha said the environmentalists took a decision to look at the illegal animal trade which are not really in the spotlight in the recent years.

He added their group has been tracking the mongoose hair trade since the early 2000s but have stepped up their efforts.
"The constant pressure we have practiced and our raids and seizures in the last few years has dissuaded many from the business," he added.