Wildlife SOS facing poaching and WPA violation allegations gets seat on Delhi wildlife board

New Delhi, Nov 2 (PTI) The induction of Delhi-based NGO Wildlife SOS, which is facing allegations of links with a leopard poaching network and operating facilities in violation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972, in Delhi's board for wildlife has raised questions.

     A state board for wildlife's duties include advising the state government regarding issues such as the formulation of the policy for protection and conservation of wildlife and specified plants, according to Section 8 of the WPA, 1972.

     Delhi's Department of Forest and Wildlife issued a gazette notification on October 23, constituting the Board for Wildlife for the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

     Bhopal-based activist Ajay Dubey told PTI, “It is alarming to note that Mr Kartikey (Satyanarayan), CEO of the Wildlife SOS, has been booked by the Madhya Pradesh government and forest department in connection with serious leopard poaching allegations within the ecologically sensitive Kuno National Park landscape (cheetah reintroduction zone).”

     “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 WPA,” he added.

     Established in 1995, Wildlife SOS has over the years launched several initiatives to protect India's endangered animals and natural habitat, including anti-poaching activity, rescue and rehabilitation facilities, and in-situ habitat conservation.

     However, in August, media reports emerged linking Wildlife SOS to an alleged leopard poaching case in Madhya Pradesh. In September, the Madhya Pradesh High Court withdrew the interim protection granted to Satyanarayan in the case, but subsequently the Supreme Court restored the protection.

     In a statement released in August, Satyanarayan had rejected all the allegations and said, “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.”

     In the same month, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) asked chief wildlife wardens (CWLWs) of six states and a Union Territory to inspect the establishments managed by Wildlife SOS for allegedly violating the WPA, 1972.

     Key alleged violations at Wildlife SOS’s facilities include operating as a zoo without mandatory CZA approval or statutory recognition; acquiring rescued wild animals without required approval for long-term care; and failing to submit animal inventories within prescribed deadlines, according to CZA letters accessed by PTI.

     Moreover, in a letter dated September 22, the CZA directed Uttar Pradesh's CWLW to take appropriate action regarding a bear rescue facility in Agra, managed by Wildlife SOS, as it allegedly operated for over a year without renewal of its mandatory recognition.

     It also allegedly failed to report the acquisition of three sloth bears to the authority and did not mention the source of their acquisition, among other violations.

     The establishment operates under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Wildlife SOS and the state government's environment department, according to the letter, written in response to the NGO's application to renew the facility's recognition.

     Responding to a set of queries, Wildlife SOS had told PTI last month that one year prior to the renewal of the facility's recognition, it had proposed adding a new establishment for a multi-species rescue centre after discussions with Uttar Pradesh's principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and CWLW.

     Given the ongoing correspondence with CZA and the expectation that approval for the Agra bear rescue facility renewal and the proposed addition of a multi-species rescue centre would be considered concurrently, Wildlife SOS anticipated a consolidated decision from the CZA.

     "The alignment of the two processes led to the delay in submitting a separate renewal application for the said facility,” the NGO had said.

     Wildlife SOS had also claimed that the bears needed urgent medical treatment and were brought to the facility with prior written permission from the PCCF and CWLW of the states in accordance with the applicable statutory procedures and regulatory oversight.

     Dubey said he has written to the secretary of the Union Environment Ministry and Delhi’s chief minister, among others, saying that including a representative from Wildlife SOS on the board for wildlife violates statutory standards.

     “Sub-section (1)(g) of Section 6 of the WPA, 1972 mandates the inclusion of non-governmental organisations and individuals who have proven credentials, expertise, and an unblemished record in wildlife conservation. There appears to have been no formal background check, scrutiny of credentials, or institutional due diligence conducted by the administration before nominating non-official members to this statutory body,” he writes.

     The activist has demanded that the board be immediately dissolved and reconstituted.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)