On the ethics of ‘shoot at sight’ at Kaziranga

Shooting poachers equals a death sentence, and this is completely illegal. The law of the land does not award the death sentence to poachers. Even if it does, the state or the park warden cannot make this call, this is solely the function of the court. If a person shoots to kill a suspected poacher, this is tantamount to murder under the Indian Penal Code by the state official, the park warden or the official who pulled the trigger. If the official says that the orders came from above, all three of them will be culpable for this. It is shocking that this is happening. What is wrong with the government?Colin Gonsalves, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court and Director of Human Rights Law Network

Shoot at sight had been implemented in Kaziranga National Park but this has not stopped poaching here. There are many casualties on both sides. Stringent measures are required to cope with the black market demand for teeth, horns and other parts of endangered species. This is the last resort. While some documentaries may portray this as inhumane, it really isn’t. Poachers are armed with sophisticated weapons. If our Army protects our borders why can’t we protect our hot spots? We cannot let poachers have their way with wildlife. It is high time we stood up for the endangered species who need us on an area which covers merely four per cent of India’s total geographical area. The BBC documentary severely misrepresented Kaziranga, whereby they made it look like the people are frustrated with the order. We deal with locals everyday, and they are proud to stand up for their community and wildlife.Kedar Gore, Director, The Corbett Foundation

There is no ‘shoot at sight’ order, the whole thing has been grossly misrepresented. Rhino horns are highly priced in the illegal black market, and they are being slaughtered across their range.  This builds a pressure on forest authorities, especially when the poacher goes out with the intention to kill all in their way. This includes forest guards. Illegal wildlife trade is huge on the scale of arms and drugs. Visibility is very low in these forests. The BBC film depicts forest guards as ‘bloodthirsty’ but this is surely not the case. The rhino killed shortly after the controversy blew up was by an AK47. This is testament to the level of investment in poaching. While our guards are equipped with outdated rifles. It is unfortunate that people who protect our forests are portrayed in such a manner.Prerna Bindra, Wildlife conservationalist

As told to Dipshikha Ghosh