Between January-July 2023, India has reported the death of more than 112 tigers, with a significant percentage lost to poaching, according to the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
The WTI has relied on the data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
“In the last 4 years, India has been able to add 400 tigers across its 53 tiger reserves. With an impressive population of 3,167 tigers as per the latest census report by the NTCA, it has become an example for other countries. However, in the past five years, India has also lost 114 tigers to illegal wildlife trade,” the WTI said in a statement coinciding with the International Tiger Day.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) points to several highly organized rackets that are still prevalent across the country and catering to the international demand for tiger parts and products.
With about 75 per cent of the tiger population in the world, it’s a huge responsibility that lies with India.
“Illegal wildlife trade is not just limited to organized gangs. Traditional hunting communities have regularly been reported to play a role in the trade. The threat also comes in the form of opportunistic hunting when snares meant for animals like wild pigs trap a tiger, and it makes its way to the black market. A large part of the trade also happens online, across social media and e-commerce websites that are used to promote and sell illegal wildlife articles,” the WTI said.
The WTI has been working on wildlife crime enforcement assistance in India has been working with agencies to identify such leads and bring criminals to justice.
“Since 2002, the team has aided in more than 280 operations, leading to both seizures and arrests. 15 of these operations across 13 Indian States had led to the arrests of 36 poachers and involved the seizure of tiger skin, bones and teeth,” it said.
WTI’s Project HAWK (Hostile Activity Watch Kernel) is tool that aims to improve wildlife crime management. It is a Cloud Based Information Management System designed to manage interlinked databases of wildlife crime, wildlife criminals, and wildlife mortality, and help officials analyze the information and develop actionable intelligence to prevent wildlife crimes. and curb Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT). Currently, it has already been adopted by the state of Kerala, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Another technology tool put in place by WTI has been the Cyber HAWK application that works through a network of volunteers who report wildlife trade in cyberspace.