Thanks to Sadiqur Rahman of Conservation news for the Headline.
What I love about this headline is it shows us that the nutty Reform type England is for the English have got it so wrong when they think that globally we are very similar to each other. Compare little old lady volunteering to canvass for Nigel Farage in Clacton posting pamphlets through letter boxes and a young teenager in Bangladesh trying to protect wildlife from poachers and criminals who trade in the poor creatures for profit. They are both volunteering to protect what they believe in and have the freedom to do so. Not a devastating flood or Charity request in sight but young people protecting rare birds, reptiles and mammals.
The Bangladeshi forest department set up the Wildlife Crime Control Unit in 2012 and the volunteers ( mainly young people) have had a real impact on reducing wildlife abuse and crime.
The article is really about the reluctance of the volunteers to formalise their support by registering with the WCCU, there are many reasons for this , the main one is it is dangerous work and there efforts at gathering information might be harmed by their names being known on a register. The genuine rescuers know that the criminals will sometimes pretend to volunteer to rescue animals when in fact they have infiltrated the WCCU in order to prevent further rescues and indeed to harm the genuine rescuers.
It is inspiring though that local Bangladeshi people wish to protect their environment and Social Media and better telecommunications have played a part in the process, which explains why the mantle has been taken up by the young. So really that old lady in Clacton has a lot in common with a teenager in Bangladesh, and I hope that they both recognise that.
Namaste and Thank You for Reading .🙏
thenotsomightyom 