Indian State Declares Open Season on Poachers
A state in western India is so disgusted with tiger poachers that it has declared open season on them. The government of the state of Maharashtra is allowing state forest guards to shoot illegal hunters on sight -- in an effort to put a stop to the rampant killing of protected wildlife, especially the dwindling population of tigers.
To make this legal, this government simply declared that killing or injuring suspected poachers is not a crime anymore.
No poachers have been shot yet, but wildlife conservationists are hoping the threat of getting shot will scare the poachers away.
This radical approach has already worked in another Indian state, where allowing guards to shoot poachers has helped that state's population of endangered one-horned rhinos recover.
Poachers are now an endangered - but not protected - species in those two states.
What a concept! It would no doubt reduce or even put a stop to wildlife poaching, but American poachers can only hope it doesn't catch on over here. A lot of people would probably go along with it. They would no doubt agree with the ancient Romans, whose attitude was "exitus acta probat".
Translation: "The results justify the deed", or "The ends justify the means".
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