Date: November 4, 2012 10:45:46 PM EST

To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

Subject: War on Nature

Dear Colleague:

I am providing below a link to a story of the horrific mass-slaughter of migrating Amur falcons in Northeastern India by local tribal people who cater to a growing commercial market.  The investigation was carried out by WCS conservation partners, Ramki Sreenivasan and Shashank Dalvi. Ramki is a trustee of Centre for Wildlife Studies and Shashank is an alumnus of the WCS supported Masters Program at National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR.

http://www.conservationindia.org/campaigns/amur-massacre


I believe this case study is a powerful piece of evidence  that passively relying on "traditional cultural tolerance" and "native wisdom" to protect wildlife is often doomed to failure. Many endangered species will be lost if we blindly endorse the view that local people will protect threatened wildlife in all places and  for all time, and no law enforcement or external authority are needed to save such threatened species in the face of growing markets, increasing aspirations and changing traditions.

Please do share this link as widely as possible with the media and anyone you think will be able to help. Your intervention will help not just these fragile falcons- but many other species that are similarly threatened by  human rapacity towards wild nature all over the world.

Thank You.

-- 
K. ULLAS KARANTH, PH.D., F.A.Sc.
Director for Science-Asia
Wildlife Conservation Society

&

Director, Centre for Wildlife Studies

Phone: 91-80-26715364,91-80-26715255,91-80-42119259
email: ukaranth@gmail.com

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