NGO under poaching scanner finds place in Delhi Wildlife Board

While the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force investigates a leopard poaching case that has also brought a Delhi-based NGO under the scanner, the Delhi Government has nominated Wildlife SOS as a non-official member representing NGOs on the Delhi State Board for Wildlife.

Official sources confirmed to The Tribune that the Forest Department is considering dropping the NGO from the board.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is the chairperson of the Delhi State Board for Wildlife.

The matter stems from the July 23 arrest of four poachers on the Gwalior-Agra highway, where 10 leopard skins were recovered. After the skins were traced to Madhya Pradesh, the State Tiger Strike Force began investigating the poaching case. Two functionaries of the NGO were also taken into custody by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department.

"Inducting an organisation facing grave criminal allegations related to wildlife crime onto a state high-level statutory advisory body undermines public trust and subverts the purpose of the Wildlife (Protection) Act," said wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who submitted a complaint to the Delhi government and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

In August, Wildlife SOS CEO Kartick Satyanarayan rejected all the allegations, saying, "Our immensely celebrated efforts over the years in rescuing and eventual banning of dancing bears in India is just one of the many stories that we are proud of... As torchbearers of India's wildlife and forest resources, we protect, we preserve and we plan for the health and the welfare of creatures who are voiceless."

Section 6 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, mandates the inclusion of non-governmental organisations and individuals with proven credentials, expertise and an unblemished record in wildlife conservation.

Dubey said there had been no formal background check, scrutiny of credentials or institutional due diligence by the administration before nominating non-official members to the statutory body.

Speaking to 'The Tribune', a senior Delhi Forest Department official, requesting anonymity, said, "The NGO has been working with us for the last 10 years and we never had any issues. The case against the NGO is ongoing; it is not proven yet. However, we have decided to drop the NGO."

Dubey also pointed to a legal lacuna in the constitution of the Delhi Wildlife Board.

"The nomination process suffers from a fundamental procedural and legal void due to the absence of clear execution rules and defined procedures governing the selection, vetting, tenure, and removal of non-official members of the State Board for Wildlife in Delhi. Without transparent rules and objective qualification criteria, nominations remain subject to arbitrary selections, allowing controversial entities to gain statutory appointments," he said.