What role does wildlife trade play in Assam's day-to-day politics?

In pursuit of food, a rhinoceros wandered into a field on the outskirts of Kaziranga National Park.

Our driver tells us that this "vastness" draws Bangladeshi immigrants to India as we wind our way down from Guwahati through huge fields and rolling hills to Diphu. He said, "They believe this is just free ground." We can feel his simmering anti-immigrant rhetoric, which adds greatly to the region's politically charged atmosphere.

Wildlife is a hidden force caught in the midst of this socio-political upheaval. Karbi Anglong, bordered on one side by Kaziranga National Park and the other by Nagaland, has an official forest cover of over 40%. Tigers, rhinos, leopards, elephants, pangolins, and other animals can be found in the district.

We've come to investigate how illicit wildlife trafficking plays a role in the day-to-day politics that occur along the Indo-Myanmar border; how it's used to create political identities; and how it plays a role in the power dynamics between different individuals. The coveted rhino horns are poached in Assam's Kaziranga district, transported via Karbi Anglong, Nagaland, and finally to Manipur's border town of Moreh.

Three people were detained by the Karbi Anglong police in June 2020 for their role in a rhino poaching case in Kaziranga. One individual was arrested in January at the district's Dalai check post for illegally possessing a rhino horn alleged to be on its way to be sold in Nagaland's Dimapur. Traffickers are known to carry the horn from Moreh to the Myanmar border town of Tamu and then to the Golden Triangle.

We piece together a disturbing story as we strive to grasp the role of political turmoil and economic uncertainty in promoting illicit wildlife trade.

“Normally, policymakers don't see this [wildlife trade] as a problem,” says one activist-turned-politician who asked to remain anonymous. “If it does become a problem, it would be for the love of nature rather than a solely partisan blame game on how one side failed to control poaching.” Poaching, he claims, is not a normal choice for the locals.

“They don't want to slaughter animals and sell their horns,” says the narrator. People will not want this alternative if they have a steady stream of income. However, they are often compelled by conditions or caused by easy capital. Many that are involved are shielded by wealthy individuals.”

We realize how inextricably the lives of the inhabitants of these hills and their natural environments are linked as we walk through Diphu, a town decorated in typical Karbi colors of black, red, and white and proudly displaying the Jambili Athon on cross-roads, fences, and parks.

The Jambili Athon is a recurring reminder of the importance of nature in Karbi tribal sculpture, with its central axis and a whorl of four branches with various species of birds perched on them. The racket-tailed drongo, locally known as vojaru, is at the top of the axis, with Grey-capped pygmy woodpeckers below.

According to a tea vendor, the tail feathers of the drongo are used as decorative headgear for men during important ceremonies. These feathers are also securely preserved in the hollow of bamboo hanging from the roof in traditional Karbi homes. “New birds aren't hunted if they are passed down through generations,” says the tea seller, “but we do see the feathers sold at local festivals.”

Traditional Karbi-wildlife interrelationships can be seen in many ways of life here, including animal parts in ceremonies and medicines. According to a 2014 report, Karbi healers used 19 mammals, 10 butterflies, nine birds, and four reptiles to cure 54 illnesses, including asthma, cancer, and respiratory disorders.

In these areas, hunting debate is formed by diverse social norms that attempt to balance the nuances of culture, indigenous medicine, a growing conservation ethos, and the law. Hunting is seen as a cultural privilege in many areas of the Northeast.