thoughts of an ex poacher

[Ranbir Mahapatra]

Birders and conservationists who have visited Mangalajodi near Chilika Lake, Orissa fondly talk of Kishore Behera, the “Veerapaan” of Chilika. Jim Corbett would have devoted an entire chapter, rhapsodically describing this erstwhile & colourful poacher. Today he is leading ex-poachers of this small hamlet towards conservation of birds at Mangalajodi.

I used to wonder the utility of poaching migratory birds. Do poachers sell live birds to collectors as exotic pets? The answer of course was in the dhabas dotting the NH. According to Kishore, there was (and perhaps is) a great gustatory demand amongst NH commuters for these birds. Poaching migratory birds, thus offered quick buck for the villagers.

So, I agree with you Pawan. Poaching has its roots in economics.

You also mentioned about hunting the game with the help of local trackers; here I assume you were referring to sheetals, deers, sambhars or wild boars. You justified your action as controlled poaching (prevalent in many acclaimed game reserves).

Still, I am not able to come to terms with hunting for the sake of sports or pleasure.

However, your suggestion of coupling ex-poachers, tracking & photography with economics makes sense. I would like to build on that idea here.

Most of the guides at Mangalajodi are ex-poachers. Kishore can identify a bird by its call. He knows the marshland like the back of his palms. The other guides know secret spots frequented by a bar-headed geese or Ruddy Shelducks. However, to become guide to photographers, they have to communicate properly. My guide, for that matter, Kishore, referred to the birds by local names and at times just by their weight! I am a native of Orissa; hence, I was able to understand & communicate with them. Photographers from other regions might face difficulty here. Therefore, to make these ex-poachers effective partners for a photo shoot, perhaps we could start a small education program or at least a communication improvement program. I am sure this would help build the USP of Mangalajodi and other such places.

I am a tad confused about the tailpiece of your thread; of so-called protectors of wildlife helping the poachers and thus making conservation null and void. I get your point & I do not get your point! :

Personally, I feel many people passionate about conservation are Utopians. Just because we are "aware", we "write" intelligent articles on conservation, does not give us the right or for that matter the privilege to force our gratuitous opinions on others. Most of us do that a lot without practicing it; and that includes me. Selective amnesia is indeed in vogue amongst the intelligentsia today.

Leaf through the brochure of any eco-wildlife resort. It extols about the AC rooms, Jacuzzis, gourmet food and satellite TV. The flora and fauna of the place are almost secondary. For a few hundred rupees more, safari drivers are ready to “chase” and thus traumatize a big cat to give their valued customer that adrenalin rush. The resort management cartel continues obfuscating & denying facts to justify such incidents.

Eco-tourists in their designer wear pack safari jeeps, at times holler, shout, elbow, and jostle when they sight a big cat. As Sabyasachi once lamented, on a recent trip to Kabini (S-India), he saw a troop of well-heeled tourists going bonkers with joy after sighting a Rhinoceros; the Rhino here on the contrary was actually a Gaur! We drive at 60kmh whereas the speed limit is 30kmh inside wildlife sanctuaries. Some of us drive a thousand KM to be close to nature, never minding the carbon footprint we leave behind. We might as well have felled a few trees instead.

Pawan, the dichotomy that you mentioned is not unique to you. I cannot speak about others, but I too am a victim of this double existence.

But utterly discounting conservationists might not be prudent. Well begun is half done. In the fight for conserving nature, I would say being aware is half done. The next step is action on ground zero.

So, when do we start?