Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Star hotel under lens over food festival advertisement

By G Anand

Official says advertisement a violation of Wild Life Act

Thiruvananthapuram: A leading star hotel in the city is being investigated by the Forest Department for advertising that it would hold a "food festival of game meat".

Chief Wildlife Warden V. Gopinath told The Hindu that the hotel management had placed advertisements in newspapers inviting potential customers to be a "Shikari For Seven Days" and eat "game meat" without undergoing the travails of a hunt.

The advertisement said that customers would not have to "aim at helpless prey, flying across the sky", "walk in the woods" or "watch from behind a shrub". "Simply come along to the restaurant to the Game Fest 2005, the first ever food festival of game meat. And enjoy". The food festival is scheduled to start on Sunday and conclude on November 6.

Mr. Gopinath, who is also the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), said the advertisement was a violation of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Any attempt to procure, sell, advertise or consume wildlife articles, including game meat, was a violation of the Act.

He said several non-governmental organisations involved in wildlife protection had brought the advertisement to the notice of the department.

The Thiruvananthapuram Forest division was likely to register a case in this connection.

"It is a unique case. We are verifying which all provisions of the Act could be applied," he said. Another Forest department official said that the hotel management owned large tracts of land bordering the Western Ghats forests, particularly in the Cardamom Hill Reserve area. He said this had forced the department to view the advertisement seriously.

Rabbit meat

When contacted, the restaurant manager of the hotel said that the meat served at the food festival would be that of rabbit and quail sourced from local farms. He said no wild meat would be served.

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