When Britain's Prince William and Katherine made an official visit to India in April, they visited the National Park and Tiger Reserve that was the focus of a brutal "shoot to kill" policy targeting anyone suspected of poaching that led to the killing of 62 people shot by wildlife guards over the past nine years. The prince was contacted prior to his trip asking that he raise concerns with the local authorities. It isn't known if he did in fact raise the issue.
KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK, INDIA-The National Park and Tiger Reserve that Britain's Prince William and Duchess Katherine visited in April, was the focus of a brutal "shoot to kill" policy that has seen 62 people shot dead by wildlife guards in just nine years.
Kaziranga National Park in Assam state has become infamous across India for its extrajudicial executions. Armed guards summarily execute anyone they suspect of poaching, and local people are reportedly offered cash rewards for informing on people they suspect of involvement. The guards are given immunity from prosecution.
The "shoot to kill" policy has attracted criticism from conservation charities for encouraging violence, rather than effectively tackling the criminal networks behind poaching. It was implemented by Bishan Singh Bonal, the former head of the park, who now leads the Indian National Tiger Conservation Authority.
The royal visit to the reserve came as part of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to India. The prince, who is patron of several conservation charities, was contacted prior to their visit, urging him to raise the concerns of tribes' people about heavy-handed conservation policies with the Indian authorities.
Gladson Dungdung, a prominent tribal activist, said: "If the prince is visiting this tiger reserve, I think if he loves tigers he should also love Adivasis [Indian tribal peoples], because you cannot select between these two, wildlife, forest and Adivasis, they co-exist, so you have to love them together. If you want to protect a tiger reserve you also have to protect the Adivasis and the forest. Only then will they exist; otherwise if Adivasis are not there you won't find tigers as well."
Elsewhere in India, tribal peoples are being illegally evicted from their ancestral lands in the name of tiger conservation. They face arrest and beatings, while large-scale tourism is encouraged.
Tribal peoples are the best conservationists and guardians of the natural world. Targeting tribes diverts action away from tackling the true poachers-criminal gangs selling to international markets. As the "eyes and ears" of the forest, tribal people are best placed to prevent, catch and report poachers.
Stephen Corry, director of Survival International, said prior to the royals' visit: "This is the perfect opportunity for Prince William to speak out against summary executions carried out in the name of conservation. Extrajudicial killings should have no place in conservation today. Why aren't the big conservation organizations loudly condemning this kind of knee-jerk brutality? Instead, they're supporting anti-tribal conservation policies, which play right into the hands of the gangsters who are running international poaching rings. Targeting tribes people diverts action away from tackling the true poachers. It harms conservation."
