Research & Article

We undertook detailed interviews in two Hmong villages over the course of a nine-month field season to assess how hunting activites had changed since cash cropping became a major part of the Hmong economy. We also undertook supplementary interviews in a larger number of Hmong villages throughout northern Thailand. Residents of all villages described marked in wildlife populations with a quite consistent order of extirpation. For most village only the species most resistant to hunting still remain in the vicinity. The use of various species by the Hmong is discussed. Some species such as monitor lizards and snakes, not traditionaly  eaten by the Hmong but eaten by lowland Thais, are now consumed. Recent reductions in hunting are attributed to cash cropping and reduced species availability. However, the wildlife trade still flourishes in most villages.