Tiger Poaching On The Rise In India
Whilst the numbers of tigers in the wild is rising, poaching has also risen at the same time says the Wildlife Protection Society of India. A recently released census report shows that the number of illegally poached tigers in the country this year is already higher than the total tally for 2015. The results of the survey show that as of April, there were at least 28 tigers that had been captured or killed which is 3 more than last year’s final count.
The results are alarming
Many conservation groups find the results extremely alarming and as a result they have intensified their efforts in the fight against illegal poaching. Guardians of the Wild an environmental agency launched an initiative to train as many as 7000 wildlife protection officers in 2011 which at the time was a third of India’s total anti-poaching forces. The guards had a mandate to investigate poaching activity in India, Bhutan and Nepal. Tito Joseph the group’s program manager said he was deeply troubled by the statistics.
The good news is tiger numbers are also rising
Tiger body parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine and are sold on the black market. The big cat’s pelts are also traded as a luxury good. The Wildlife Protection Society of India says that poachers use a number of techniques to kill their prey including guns, steel traps, electrocution and poison. The results of the census come less than a year after as another report claimed that the global population of wild tigers could be rising. In 2015 conservation groups counted 3,890 wild tigers which is higher than the 2010 count which estimated there were just 3,200 wild tigers which was an all-time low. To put that into context at the turn of the last century there were at least 100,000 wild tigers says WWF.
Coordinated enforcement is needed
As of the last census, India has the world’s largest wild tiger population with over 2,200 roaming the country. Penalties for poaching in India can include up to three years in prison and fines of as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. For his part Mr. Joseph says that poaching can only be halted when there is a coordinated intelligence led enforcement operation. This is because the illegal wildlife trade involves citizens of many countries making it a transnational organised crime.
