Poachers killed an indigenous man on the remote Indian Andaman Islands after him and other members of his tribe, the Jarawa, requested that the poachers share their fish bounty with the tribe. The Andamans and their surrounding waters are protected but an increasing number of poachers have been fishing in the area.

The tribe, which was first contacted by the outside world in 1998, is put at risk of dangerous disease outbreaks when poachers visit their island homes.[social_buttons]

On Novemeber 19th, the poachers had set up camp near the huts where the 320-person tribe lives. After requesting that the poachers share their bounty with the tribe, the poachers beat and threw boiling water at the the Jarawa men. In response, they attacked with arrows, killing one poacher.

Hotelle, an 18-year-old Jarawa man, jumped in a river in an attempt to flee, but was beaten badly by the poachers and never seen again.

The organization Survival International has made the protection of the Jarawa tribe a priority and asks supporters to contact the Indian government to urge them to help stop the poaching.

“This tragedy must surely galvanise the Indian government to act to keep poachers off the Jarawa’s land,” said Survival International director Stephen Corry. “The Jarawa have hunted and fished on their land for 60,000 years, but the number of poachers has become so great that they pose a serious threat to the tribe’s survival. Now two men have died in the conflict. Poaching must not be allowed to continue.”

Photo Credit: Survival International