The Moghiyas, declared by the Police of three states as a criminal tribe are considered the center of all poaching in and around Ranthambhore.
Fateh Singh Rathore, in his time as Field Director, hunted them down for poaching and knows the tribe well. According to him the only way to solve the problem is to resettle them at one place by donating land, wells, schools, etc. A grant was sanctioned by the National Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. for the purpose of rehabilitating the Moghiyas. The land selected by the tribe was not sanctioned by the Rajasthan Government, and what the Government had to offer was not cultivable. Tiger Watch made all efforts to co-ordinate a settlement between the Government and the Moghiyas but to no avail. After incurring minor expenses the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation were informed and the grant was voluntarily returned.
Since August 2005, Tiger Watch started the Anti-Poaching Information Network. Tiger Watch and its dedicated team were able to join hands with the State Police and carry out an aggressive anti poaching drive in and around Ranthambhore. It led to what has now come to be known as an unprecedented undercover operation to help save the tigers in Ranthambhore. Between October and November 2005 this operation resulted in the arrest of 12 traders and poachers who confessed on camera that they had killed 25 Tigers in two years inside the core area of Ranthambhore.
Tiger Watch along with the CID continued their anti poaching mission and since then some of the most wanted and notorious poaching gangs have been busted. Mr. Neema Tenzing, considered to be the King Pin of Tiger skin and wildlife product trade was arrested with 34 Leopard skins.
When all the incidents were linked, Tiger Watch realized that the only way to solve the problem of poachers (mainly the Moghiyas) in the long run was to rehabilitate them with alternate means of livelihood. It has since then worked out several programs to involve Moghiya men, women as well as their children, the potential poachers, in the act of grassroot conservation. The first step in this direction was to understand the workings of the community.
Tiger Watch then started the following programmes
~ Moghiya Anti-Poaching Program
Tracker- Nature Guide
Moghiyas are expert trackers since they have traditionally pursued hunting as a profession. Tiger Watch decided to harness this ability to the fullest by offering them jobs as tracker-nature guides for the tourists visiting Ranthambhore. This was launched as a pilot project and ex-poachers like Kesra, Ram Singh, and Roop Singh took keen interest in taking the tourists on a trail around MAA Farm, Tiger Watch field office.
Camel Ride for Tourists
The students of Shri Ram School crafted a unique program called ‘Card for Cart’ wherein they sold greeting cards during Diwali to raise funds that would enable Tiger Watch to buy camel carts for ex-poachers. They raised a sum of Rs. 50,000, which was spent in buying and decorating two camels
~ Moghiya Medicinal Plant (Guggal) Cultivation Pogam
Guggal Commiphora whitii is considered to be an important component of Ayurveda. Guggal was distributed among the Moghiyas who wished to cultivate it for commercial reasons. Rajmal Moghiya, an ex-poacher, was one such person. Bearing the burden of 22 criminal offences, ranging from murder, to theft, to poaching and wildlife trade, he decided to give up all of it in exchange for a stable income, low stress job, and a more peaceful and guilt-free life. Shri Ram School and Tiger Watch thus decided to donate 2000 Guggal saplings to his family and pay him a salary of Rs. 1,200 per month to take care of them.
~Moghiya Women Empowerment Program
Like most other societies, the Moghiya society, too, is male-dominated. Women are largely dependent on their menfolk for revenue. After the death of their husbands, the women are left disenfranchised since very few of them remarry. They have fewer options for survival. The ‘Moghiya Women Empowerment Program’ entitles such widows to a monthly allowance of Rs. 500, apart from encouraging them to produce handicrafts that could be sold in the market. Tiger Watch is currently supporting 12 widows.
~Moghiya Handicraft Program
The Moghiyas are by and large illiterate and as they spend most of their time in the forests, their skills are limited to stitching & basket weaving. This leaves them with little choice while starting a commercial venture. Tiger Watch’s ‘Moghiya Handicraft Program’ enables the women to learn new skills, methods and techniques from leading designers. At present, around 18 Moghiyas have come forward to sell their products, which include baskets, tea coasters, tablemats, penholders, hand fans and dustbins, among other things. Tiger Watch purchases these products from the women and sells them to several tourists who visit the office. It has already purchased goods worth Rs. 1,00,000 from the Moghiyas.
~Moghiya Education Program
Since Moghiya settlements are highly scattered, setting up a school for them was not a viable option. It was important to bring them all together by the means of a hostel. So far, Tiger Watch has managed to convince the families of 20 boys. A full-time guardian is present at the hostel and it is equipped with beds, cupboards as well as a common television with a Dish TV connection so that they can be exposed to the latest developments taking place the world over. The children are provided with two sets of uniforms, one pair of informal clothes, regular meals, and all the study material. Tiger Watch intends to furnish the hostel with a computer in the near future.
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