Inauguration of the TCAC campaign by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (From left: Ashok Kumar, Vice-chairman, WTI, His Holiness, Dr Barbara Maas, Chief Executive, CWI, Kapila Vatsyayan)

In 1959, Tibetans began migrating to India and other neighbouring countries for refuge to avoid the political turmoil in their home land. Today, about 100,000 Tibetans reside across 14 states in India alone.

In the mid 2000s, a study conducted by Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in Delhi, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh, revealed involvement of an alarming number of Tibetans in illegal wildlife trade. The find was evidenced by the arrest of a number of Tibetans for wildlife crimes in India. The accused were known to mainly act as carriers to smuggle wildlife products from India to Tibet via Nepal among other routes. The smuggled wildlife articles either found use in Tibet or were smuggled further to other sink areas.

In Tibet, smuggled wildlife articles mainly skins, were used to satiate increasing local demand to decorate the traditional dress ‘Chuba’. For some Tibetans, it was a matter of pride, while others falsely believed it to be Tibetan culture to wear ‘Chubas’ decorated with tiger or leopard skins.

Apart from that, wildlife articles were also used to decorate houses or were used in traditional Tibetan medicines.

Tibetans wearing traditional dress 'Chuba', adorned with wild animal skins

Monks in Hemis Monastery, Ladakh, display TCAC hand-outs

Despite Tibet's rich bio-diversity comprising more than 210 mammal  species and over 500 species of birds  among others, most Tibetans were unaware of its importance until recently. Conservation was mainly an outcome of the religious beliefs of Tibetans, who are mainly Buddhists and compassion plays a key role in their faith.

Tibetans arrested from Majnu-ka-tila for attempting to smuggle wildlife articles to Nepal

However, there was a visible need to spread conservation awareness among Tibetans living in India as well as Tibet as many were involved in crime against wildlife. Moreover, wildlife products were used in traditional Tibetan medicines and skins were used as decoratives by many Tibetan homes as well as in traditional Tibetan attire known as ‘Chubas’.

In April 6, 2005, His Holiness the Dalai Lama inaugurated the Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign (TCAC), a joint venture between Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Care for the Wild International (CWI), supported by the Rowell Fund. The campaign aimed at spreading conservation awareness among Tibetans hoped to reduce involvement of Tibetans  in illegal wildlife trade and to also reduce the use of wildlife parts by Tibetans.

The Campaign began with a survey in select Tibetan settlements in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand and in Delhi, to understand their level of awareness on wildlife conservation. A basic questionnaire on poaching, wildlife trade, laws, use of wildlife products among Tibetans etc was prepared to generate a baseline data. The survey revealed startling results.

Tibetan antelopes

Only about 20% of the respondents were aware of Tibet’s natural wild heritage. More than 50% were unaware of the declining tiger populations, Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and the general disappearance of wildlife. Almost all respondents were unaware of the use of wildlife products in Tibetan medicine even as more than 1/3rd admitted to  have used these medicines. There was also very low awareness on the existence and threats to Tibetan wildlife including the Tibetan antelope.

The campaign began in earnest in January 2006 when TCAC participated in the ‘Kalachakra’ held at Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. Around 1,20,000 Buddhist devotees including Tibetans from across the world attended the event. Further to his earlier support to the TCAC, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama also spoke on wildlife conservation and stressed as ‘shameful’, the involvement of Tibetans in wildlife crimes at the Kalachakra event. This speech generated tremendous emotional response from Tibetans across the world.

TCAC stall at the 2006 Kalachakra event in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh

During the event, about 3000 Tibetans from Tibet signed a pledge ‘not to wear, buy or sell wildlife products’. A month later, Tibetans across Tibet began burning wild animal skins as a response to the appeal of His Holiness. This was followed by wild animal skin burning in Dharamshala, the official abode of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.  

Encouraged by the results, the TCAC approached Tibetans living in India through its campaign collaterals using the message of His Holiness to spread awareness. Field officers of Tibetan origin visited urban areas as well as remote rural areas to reach out to their fellow Tibetans in about 53 settlements, 68 schools and 106 monasteries across India. Wildlife documentaries including one prepared by CWI and WTI containing the wildlife conservation message of His Holiness, were screened during the campaigns. Campaign collaterals in English as well as Tibetan were prepared and distributed among the people attending the campaigns.

• TCAC participated in the Kalachakra event in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, in January 2006, when His Holiness, the Dalai Lama spoke on wildlife conservation issues, stressing as ‘shameful’ the involvement of Tibetans in wildlife crime. A month later, reports of Tibetans burning wild animal skins began pouring in from different parts of Tibet. This was followed by wild animal skin burning in Dharamshala in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
  

  Tibetans burn wild animal skin following His Holiness' speech at the 2006 Kalachakra event

  
  
• Over the years since the launch of TCAC, awareness campaigns have been conducted in 53 Tibetan settlements, 68 schools and 106 monasteries across India. TCAC has also directly reached Tibetans residing in Nepal through campaigns. Campaign has been conducted in about six monasteries and six Tibetan settlements in Nepal.
  
  
• Burning of wild animal fur has continued in Tibet with the latest incidents being reported as recent as April 2009, of which details are as yet unavailable. In February 2009, similar fur burning session was held in Tsolho village in the Quinghai province.

• The TCAC organised ‘a talk on wildlife conservation’ by His Holiness- the Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje on June 29, 2009, at the TCV Upper School in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. A documentary titled ‘A shawl to die for’ that documents activities of WTI and its partner International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) towards conservation of the Tibetan antelope, was screened during the event. (Read More)  
  
  
• A post-campaign survey has been initiated in Uttarakhand and Delhi. The results of this survey will be used to analyse the efficacy of the campaign by comparing it with the results of the pre-campaign survey.
  
  
• Messages of High Lamas including His Holiness- the Karmapa Ugen Thinley Dorje and His Holiness- Sakya Trizen Rinpochen representing Kagyu and Sakya sects respectively have been filmed to create CDs for distribution among Tibetans both in India and Tibet to appeal them to refrain from cruel and/or illegal activities regarding wildlife. Message of Professor Samdhong Rinpochen, Prime Minister-in-exile, has also been recorded for the same purpose.
  
  
• In the year 2008-09, campaigns were conducted specifically targeting monks, as they wield tremendous influence over the Tibetan society.
  
  
• TCAC campaigns were also conducted in several settlements, schools and monasteries in Nepal in 2008-09.