11 Turn poachers into protectors of forests CORE ISSUE
GRASS-ROOT SOLUTIONS
BANGALORE APRIL 17 2010
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The crux of our wildlife conservation efforts is that hunters and poachers need to understand the importance of preserving our wildlife. Their rehabilitation is the only long-term solution to stop poaching. Else, we’ll all end up as losers, says Elizabeth Soumya
is feet crushing a bed of dried leaves, Kesara Moghiya and his gang set a foothold trap, before clambering up a tree waiting for the striped cat.R Sivaram can see the roving herd of tuskers as close as 10-15 meters from where he is. He hauls up his gun and aims at the tusker’s ear. It’s just the right time and Madhu Behera clicks the trigger and a bird drops dead into the marshes. C Rajendran sets out with his father to find a buyer for snake skins. Each of these four men doesn’t know the other exists. They inhabit diverse biomes and speak different languages. But pull out a day from their past and the outlines of their job profiles are likely to match: They were hunters and poachers not too long ago. The crucial likeness that binds them is the that while they might not be, they should be at the crux of our wildlife conservation efforts. It’s these hunters and poachers who need to understand the importance of preserving our wilderness. It’s this conclusion that Tiger Watch, an NGO working to protect big cats in Ranthambhore, Rajasthan, came to five years ago. Dharmendra Khandal, a conservation biologist with Tiger Watch, says it’s quite a nobrainer. After an anti-poaching raid, they knew the apprehended poachers would get back to business after being released. Kesara Moghiya (41) has a reputation of being a tough guy and has shot dead five tigers. Khandal knew that only a change in heart would stop Moghiya, the leader of an 11-member poaching gang. In 2004-05, Tiger Watch traced most of the 25 tiger deaths in two years in the tiger reserve to the semi-nomadic Moghiya community — 156 families that live around the reserve. “Direct descendents of Maharana Pratap, they are poor, uneducated and innocent people who’re seen as a boorish While tribal criminal tribe. They operate communities in Rajasthan, Madhya Uttar Pradesh and living near Pradesh, Haryana” says Khandal. forests are He highlights an imporpenalised for tant reason why hunter-andhunting, poaching communities conpresenting tinue their way of life. “They have a primitive way of livelihood still life and have been venturing alternatives to into the jungle for hundreds them is key. of years. If they’re hungry, This is the they’ll kill a wild boar,” he challenge explains. The only skill set these policy-makers communities have involves face in the the forests and its animals, quest to save reasons R Sivaram, an exour endangered poacher from the Gudalur wildlife village, near the Periyer Tiger Reserve. Sivaram, who has 37 dead tuskers against his name, narrates an excerpt from his life: “When I was seven, I’d accompany my mother into the forest. At 17, I bought a gun even before I knew how to shoot. Since then, I’ve killed hundreds of animals — Sambar deer, Wild Bison, Nilgai antelope, Macaque, Langur, etc. But of course, the prized kill was an elephant.” But when he grew weary of poaching, he had no alternatives. “What other work would people like us know to do,” he asks. It’s important to understand poaching communities. “You can’t give them a blanket and a few clothes and expect a turnaround,” says Khandal of the attitude displayed towards poachers. Grass-root understanding of these communities and winning their trust is important, adds Khandal, who has been chased by axe-wielding villagers who saw him as an intruder. “The hunters must first trust you,” says NK Bhujbal of ‘Wild Orissa’. Wild Orissa’ has reformed 419 poachers who now work in eight bird protection committees called Sri Sri Mahavir Pakshi Suraksha Samiti (Bird Protection Committee). They look after marshlands in Mangaljodi and Chilika in Orissa, which is the largest winter ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent. Bhujbal says he had many adversaries in the first two years of his work. “You also need to reassure them that you are not there to turn them in to the police; instead, care for their well-being,” he says. Madhu Behera, along with a gang of 12 other poachers, was a notorious avian slayer. He recounts how he promised Bhujbal to never hunt again, in the Kali Devi Mandir. “I was convinced that hunting will kill all our birds in a year or two. But if we look after them, we can earn our livelihood from tourism for many more years,” says a transformed Behera. For Khandal, perseverance is the key. “The Moghiyas
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LAYING A TRAP: Forest department officials and Tiger Watch conservation biologist Dharmendra Khandal (top row, fifth from left) display a seized skin from a poacher (bottom row, middle)
Everything has a price...
Irula community: A success story
An
Tiger skin
60,000-Rs 1 lakh
Rs
Elephant tusks Below 5 kg: Rs2,500/kg Heavier than 5 kg: Rs4,500/kg
Bird meat: Rs80-100 Those killed using poison: Rs30-40 are very secretive. During court proceedings against Kesara, I made sure I was in the court. Slowly, the community invited us into their houses. As the rapport grew, there came a point when they asked for help themselves,” he says. But the second step is crucial. While these communities are penalised for hunting, presenting livelihood alternatives is crucial. Now, Sivaram is the secretary of Vidiyal Vana Padukappu Sangam (Forest Conservation Society). He reminisces: “It was the 14th day of the 10th month of the year 2004 when I surrendered. It was a time when officers from the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Tamil Nadu forest department held a meeting. Sixteen other poachers surrendered and cases pending against them were withdrawn.” At the time, he was disturbed after killing an elephant calf. “For over five hours, the mother was prodding the calf to wake up. It’s a scene that was etched in mind,” he says. Jayachandran of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement, Ooty, explains the options the Tamil Nadu government
An example of successful rehabilitation of hunters is the Irula tribe in Chennai. A clique of adroit snake-catchers, skinning these reptiles was their ancestral occupation. K Rajendra, chief of Irula SnakeCatchers Industrial Cooperative Society, says the Irulas are no longer a rung in the snakeskin trade. While they continue to catch snakes, the purpose is venom extraction for antivenom serums. They have permits to catch and release one of the ‘big four snakes’ in India.
“We
get Rs2,000 for a Spectacled DOING THEIR BIT: Kail, Cobra or a Russell’s an Irula tribesman, Viper, Rs700 for a catches a Russell’s Viper Krait and Rs250 for SOHAM MUKHERJEE a Saw Scaled Viper,” he says. The co-operative, along with the Irula Tribal Women’s Welfare Society (ITWWS), has managed to sustain the entire tribe. “Three hundred and fifty families depend on this co-operative and we also have bonuses and incentives like other jobs,” he says.
generated for ex-poachers. “Since many of them are experts with their knowledge of the jungle, they’ve been given the role of tourist guides. They’ve also been given bullock-carts to give rides to tourists and they made coracles as well. We have also employed them as forest guards,” he says. In Ranthambhore, Mangaljodi and the Western Ghats, ex-poachers and hunters have provided crucial information to authorities about forest offences. Based on information given by ex-poachers in Guddalur, the Periyar Tiger Reserve recovered two tiger skins from an illegal wildlife trader at Idukky district. With an impressive knowledge about their regions, they’re able to keep an eye on who is entering the area and can easily spot traders. In Manjaljodi, Behera says the committee of ex-poachers is well connected. “We have been given mobile phones and if we see anything suspicious, we pass on the information immediately,” he says. The main incentive for poachers to transform is an optional source of income. The monetary value these communities get from poaching — which is a high-risk operation — is measly in the long run. The Tiger Watch team in Ranthambhore is striving to bring a wholesome approach to rehabilitation. “While we want the men to reform, we have also begun training women in handicraft. In fact, Kesara now makes baskets with his wife and they got an order worth Rs10,500 from Mumbai. For the Moghiya children, the NGO has opened a school that educates 30 boys,” says Khandal. Will working with these communities really change them? “It’s a question I ask myself and think we won’t really know overnight,” he answers. But one thing is certain: Crusades to save forests and conservation camps to salvage flora and fauna won’t be successful without a deeper understanding of the people whose lives are interlinked with jungles. If we don’t value these communities, we can raise our placards high and bawl our slogans, but we won’t save the last tiger from falling dead to the ground. s_elizabeth@dnaindia.net
In Ranthambhore, the Tiger Watch — with just four people — reported 34 poaching cases, while the forest department — with 400 personnel — hasn’t filed a single case
PLAIN-SPEAKING CONSERVATIONIST
There is absolutely no accountability when a tiger is killed in our country uring the tiger census, volunteers should pitch in, instead of officials inflating figures. In Ranthambhore, the Tiger Watch — with four people — reported 34 poaching cases, while the forest department — with 400 personnel — hasn’t filed a single case The last time I saw a tiger I was 11 years old. A miserable, bored, striped feline sat motionless inside a claustrophobic enclosure. It’s a very obscure faded postcard. I remember the giraffes towering above the trees much better. So the slogan ‘Save the
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Tiger’ seems as hackneyed and genuinely cosmetic as a beauty contestant’s appeal for world peace. Now, everyone from ad agencies to the couch potatoes care for the ‘cause’. But when 75-year-old Fateh Singh Rathore repeats the clichéd supplication to protect these big cats, you know he means it. For one, this has been his battle for decades. Having joined the forest department in 1960, he spent most of his life working for the tigers in Ranthambhore, Rajasthan. Even as the future looks bleak for these animals, he tells DNA that he has ‘tiger power’ — a resilience to not give up the fight. “I’ll fight for the tigers till I am alive, I love this animal; it’s in my mind, eyes, body and everywhere,” he says with passion that’s stirring. Excerpts from an interview: What are the problems and dangers the tigers face that’s hampering the species? First, its habitat is under pressure and it’s depleting. Secondly, there’s a lack of dedicated for-
The tiger’s habitat is under pressure and it’s depleting. Also, there’s a lack of dedicated forest officers at reserves
TIGER WATCH
est officers at reserves. Even in Ranthambhore, the staff is aging and most of them have served here for three decades. Thirdly, there has to be a strong political will to save the tiger. It also has to be political priority.
Where have our campaigns for the tiger gone wrong? There could be a lot of campaigns to save the tiger. It doesn’t matter when people in a committee have a meeting to save the tiger. There has to be someone who is willing to go out there and be in charge on the field. Grand and mighty plans need to be implemented by someone locally. What can people trapped in their cubicles do for the tiger? The media has been sensitising people about the tigers. The cause does require a lot of pub-
no accountability when a tiger is killed. The forest department tries to cover it up and bury the facts. During the tiger census, volunteers should pitch in, instead of officials inflating figures. In Ranthambhore, the Tiger Watch — with four people — reported 34 poaching cases, while the forest department — with 400 personnel hasn’t filed a single case. Two cubs died recently and there has been no report on it. Support for guards to protect the forest is crucial. Managing tourists in nature reserves should be part of the tourism department. Forest department vehicles are mostly used to transport tourists. As a result, officers are tired even before they go out patrolling. What about poachers around tiger reserves? Around Ranthambhore, 156 families depend on the forest for everything. They are landless, uneducated people who are looked upon as criminals and hated by everyone. They must be given optional sources of income and support.
WILDLIFE WARRIOR: Fateh Singh Rathore has been fighting for the tiger for 30 years lic support. Students, scientists and others should spread awareness. People must visit reserves not just as tourists, but as students who really want to learn about animals. We should also realise that this isn’t an isolated fight. If you have to save the apex predator, you need to protect the forest, water resources and prey. If we do the right things, not only will the tiger be protected, but we will have rain and our jungles will thrive. What’s the need of the hour? Transparency from the government. There is
Are there really 1,411 tigers left in India? I will be happy if anyone comes forward and even proves 1,000 tigers are alive. Have you had any encounters with tigers? The tiger has always been gentle to me. The worst encounter I’ve had is with people. In 1982, a group of 50 people attacked my driver and me. I almost died in that encounter. People have put a beautiful creature like the tiger in danger. The tiger is the heart of the forest. Without a heart, a body is useless, so a forest without tigers is dead. In 1983, Fateh Singh was awarded the International Valour Award for bravery in the field. In 2008, he was conferred with the Earth Heroes lifetime service award for this contribution to conservation.