lack of support
Lack of support for forest guards has left Palamau Tiger Reserve exposed to poachers and smugglers. Officials are urging the Jharkhand government to form an armed brigade, pointing out that 12 unarmed personnel have died over the past three decades.
On August 20, nine poachers were arrested with guns, explosives, and a tiger trap. Just days earlier, four more were caught in the reserve. One forest guard narrowly escaped being shot while pursuing armed poachers, highlighting the risks faced daily by under-equipped staff.
Weapons once issued to guards were withdrawn in the 1990s due to Maoist insurgency. While Maoist presence has since receded, the illegal wildlife trade has grown, leaving guards armed with little more than bamboo sticks. Officials argue this imbalance fuels killings, timber smuggling, and encroachment.
Examples from Assam and Odisha show that arming forest forces cuts poaching drastically. Without decisive action, tiger numbers in Palamau — once 71, now barely surviving — remain in peril.
Political failure keeps the reserve vulnerable.
The lack of support article:
Based on The Week, India.
Photo credit: PTI.
