A national park in which rangers have the right to kill poachers

The Kaziranga National Park, located in the state of Assam, India, is one of the most important wildlife sanctuaries in the world and is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Currently, it is home to two-thirds of Indian rhinoceros, whose populations are increasingly threatened by poaching and the destruction of habitual habitats.

Fighting Poachers

The park uses many methods to combat poachers, including armed guards. As shown in the new BBC documentary, Kazirang's rangers are entitled not only to demonstrate their strength. Here they went even further and allowed the guards to shoot poachers.

This may sound unacceptable in terms of morality, but you can not argue with the results. Despite the fact that the cost of just 1 kg of rhino horns on the black market ranges from 60 to 300 thousand dollars, and that the demand for this product has never been higher than now, the Indian rhino certainly thrives in this national park.

The work in this particular park is one of the most high-tech in the world. Rangers have effective weapons, unmanned surveillance vehicles, wire traps and motion sensors. Naturally, the regional government is very proud of its ability to protect vulnerable animal species, which other authorities can not do around the world.

It turns out that only in 2015 more than 20 poachers died at the hands of the Rangers, trying to make money in their bloody business. The more poachers killed, the less rhinoceroses suffer, and the data seems to support this idea.

Air Force Investigation

Nevertheless, the BBC's investigation found evidence that the Rangers sometimes operate outside the law, and it is possible that some killing of poachers was unnecessary. And, of course, in these cases, no court is involved.

Should we allow the rangers to act as judges, jurors and executioners against those people who threaten Indian rhinos?

The park's director told BBC News that the rangers were instructed to first try to arrest the poachers before resorting to shooting. But it is not clear how often they violate these instructions. Among the local residents there are even stories that ordinary passers-by simply walking through this territory were also wounded and even killed through the guilt of zealous guards.

What is the topic of the report

The report of the regional government on the National Park and poaching on rhinoceroses, tigers and elephants indicates the harsh measures required by such misconduct. Along with the huge fines for any violation of the boundaries of the park, the document also says that environmental crimes should be recognized as the most disgusting, and poachers must bear the heaviest punishments of all possible.

"Crimes against a human being - an animal that meets in great abundance, and which is largely responsible for the destruction of nature and ecosystems - must go to the background when a crime against the nature of the mother is considered. Such acts are much more disgusting than killing, "the report says.