Maharashtra, India Legalizes Killing of Tiger Poachers

by NowPublic Staff | May 24, 2012 at 08:19 am

248 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

Maharashtra: Open Season on Tiger Poachers

Are you serious about saving the tigers? More to the point, are you as serious about saving the tigers as Maharashtra? The Indian state of Maharashtra has made it legal to hunt the most dangerous game of all... man. Man hunts tigers, and the world has a tiger shortage.

Yes, this is real. Maharashtra has declared open season on tiger poachers. If you see someone hunting tigers in a Maharashtra nature reserve, you can legally kill them.

Aiding and abetting someone who may end up killing a poacher will be met with a ~~prison sentence~~ cash reward. Note that this new law mainly affects forest guards: regular citizens are not encouraged to tool up and head into the jungle.

Poachers are driven to poach because the financial rewards are so high and the personal risk is so low. However, when the murder of poachers is incentivized...

Forest guards should not be "booked for human rights violations when they have taken action against poachers," Maharashtra Forest Minister Patangrao Kadam said Tuesday. The state also will send more rangers and jeeps into the forest, and will offer secret payments to informers who give tips about poachers and animal smugglers, he said.