Red Jungle Fowl

Key Legal and Environmental Implications

• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: The Grey Junglefowl is listed under Schedule I, providing it with the highest level of legal protection.
  • Hunting or consuming this species is a criminal offence, punishable under the Act.
• Sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS):
  • Section 353(2): Pertains to spreading false information that promotes hatred.
  • Section 356: Addresses defamation or intentional harm to reputation.
• Cultural Sensitivities: The incident highlights the need to preserve local traditions while ensuring adherence to environmental laws.

About the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)

• Significance: The Red Junglefowl is a tropical pheasant species and the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken, making it vital for understanding avian domestication.
  • It is native to India, Indo-China, Malaysia, and surrounding regions.
• Habitat: It is found in diverse habitats like primeval forests, dry scrublands, and secondary growth woodlands.
  • Despite being listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, the species faces threats from habitat loss and hybridization with domestic chickens.
• Threats:
  • Hybridization: Feral domestic chickens and intermediate subspecies threaten the genetic purity of wild populations.
  • Lack of Awareness: Insufficient education on the importance of preserving pure populations of the Red Junglefowl.
• Role in human history:
  • Domesticated around 5,000 years ago in Southeast Asia, the Red Junglefowl became a crucial food source for early human societies.
  • It was later introduced to Africa, South America, and Pacific Islands.

IUCN Status

• Category: Least Concern
• Reasons:
  • Wide distribution: Found across a large geographical range.
  • Stable population: Declines are not rapid enough to meet the criteria for vulnerability.
  • Population size and trends, while not fully quantified, are believed to be sufficient to avoid vulnerable status.

Q1. What is the IUCN status?

The IUCN status refers to the conservation status of species as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through its Red List of Threatened Species. This list categorises species into several statuses, including Extinct (EX), Extinct in the Wild (EW), Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN), Vulnerable (VU), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concern (LC), Data Deficient (DD) and Not Evaluated (NE).

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