2-Dec-2019: Operation ‘Clean Art’ to crackdown on illegal trade in mongoose hair

Policemen raided in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district to check on organised factories that were making paint brushes with mongoose hair. Ten manufacturing units in Sherkot were raided and approximately 26,000 brushes and over 100 kg of raw mongoose hair was seized. About 26 people were arrested in connection with illegal trade in mongoose hair.

Raids were carried out not only in Uttar Pradesh, but also at Jaipur in Rajasthan, Mumbai and Pune in Maharashtra, and in Kerala, on the same day.

Operation Clean Art was the first pan India operation to crackdown on the smuggling of mongoose hair in the country. There are six species of mongoose found in India and officials have mostly recovered grey mongoose hair.

An adult mongoose yields over 30-40 gm of long hair, from which only 20-25 gm of “brush-making hair” is recovered. Operation Clean Art was conceived by WCCB with the singular aim of ensuring that the mongoose hair brush trade should be closed down across the country.

Most of these animals were poached by “hunting communities” across the country. The entire operation across the country yielded 54,352 brushes and 113 kg of raw hair.

About 49 arrests were made and 27 cases were registered under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).

The mongoose is listed in Schedule II Part 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act and any smuggling or possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence. Persons using brushes made of mongoose hair should be aware of it.

For about 150 kg of mongoose hair, at least 6,000 animals would have been killed.

There have been instances in which mongoose hair has been transported using courier companies. Postal Department authorities are also trying to involve the Postal Department to spread awareness and identify illegal trade in wildlife.