The Bishnoi community in Rajasthan is known to defend their flora and fauna at all costs and there have been several such examples in history.
Recently, a 15-year-old boy from the same community in a Rajasthan village showed exemplary bravery when he fought 4 poachers who had hunted a Chinkara.
An NGO, Ecology Rural Development & Sustainability Foundation (The ERDS Foundation), reported and confirmed the incident first.
Mukesh and his friend Pukhraj were conducting a routine night patrol on 10th May, when they heard a gunshot.
The two boys immediately rushed towards the spot and had a faceoff with 4 armed men who had just hunted a Chinkara. They confronted the poachers fearlessly despite them being armed with guns.
Mukesh informed The Better India that two poachers escaped with the Chinkara first and then the other two also managed to flee. The poachers clearly outnumbered Mukesh and his friend.
They were four of them and they also had a weapon which I caught hold off, but I was pushed to the ground, and that is when they made their escape.
When asked if he wasn’t afraid for his life, Mukesh said:
Not even for a moment. This is my duty and there is nothing to be fearful of.
Chinkara is the state animal of Rajasthan and gets the highest protection under laws.
Mukesh has been working for wildlife conservation in Rajasthan and he along with his team cracked two other poaching incidents previously.
Mukesh is seen narrating the entire incident in this video posted by the ERDS.
Netizens appreciated the efforts of the young boy towards conserving the wildlife after the news went viral on social media.
After Mukesh informed the forest department about the incident, a case has been registered by the local police.