YouTuber heeds to Wildlife Protection Act summons
Naga YouTuber Kebenhulo Kemp, popularly known by his pseudonym ‘The Roving Naga,’ who was summoned by the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of Wildlife Division in Dimapur was reported to have appeared before the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, on Monday
- DIMAPUR — Naga YouTuber Kebenhulo Kemp, popularly known
by his pseudonym ‘The Roving Naga,’ who was summoned by the Wildlife Crime
Control Unit of Wildlife Division in Dimapur for offences committed under the
Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, was reported to have appeared before the
Wildlife Crime Control Unit, on Monday.
- After
reporting himself to the Wildlife Crime Control Unit, interrogation is said to
be ongoing and will go for “sometime” with the YouTuber.
- Kemp was
summoned for his video ‘Hunting of wildlife & consumption of its meat,’
which was uploaded seven months ago. The content was shot in Peren district.
“We had caught lots of fish and had wonderful meal in the jungle. A guy from
there brought a snake and we had such a awesome time together drinking rice
beer and eating the snake meat (sic),” read the video description.
- He appeared
before the Wildlife Crime Control Unit after the second summon letter which was
issued to him on March 11.
- He failed
to appear in the first summon letter issued on March 6 asking him to report on
March 11, for offences under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
- With the
internet divided over Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and the actions of the
Youtuber who has nearly 1.5 lakh subscribers with 275 videos to his channel, an
official source told this newspaper that “we should uphold the law without
being bias and should be wise in how we interpret.”
- The snake
in question is the ‘checkered keelback’ which is accorded protection under
Schedule 1 Part C, Sl. No. 25 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The state
government in a notification dated 03/12/1997 had also declared ‘a blanket ban
on hunting of all Scheduled-1 species’ the whole year under all non-government
land.
