The Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) is investigating a possible nexus between a wildlife trader network and Delhi-based NGO Wildlife SOS, after two arrested men reportedly told investigators they were acting on the organisation’s payroll, and on instructions from its CEO — allegations the NGO denied.

What happened, according to investigators

The probe traces back to July 23, when four men were caught on the Gwalior–Agra highway carrying 10 leopard skins. Wildlife SOS initially credited its own anti-poaching unit, Forest Watch, with the bust. But a parallel STSF investigation led to the arrest of wildlife trader Bhagwan Singh alias Salim on August 11 and his associate Wasim (also identified in some reports as Waseem Akram) on August 13. Forest officials told The Indian Express that Singh had reportedly been on the NGO’s payroll for at least five years, and that Wasim also worked with it.

Following their statements, the STSF has asked Wildlife SOS co-founder and CEO Kartick Satyanarayan to appear before investigators in Shivpuri on August 17. Investigators say they are examining digital evidence and probing whether the seizures were staged — allegedly to burnish the organisation’s anti-poaching reputation and support fundraising, according to some reports.

What’s been recovered

STSF teams searching Shivpuri and Morena forests reportedly found sites with buried leopard remains, sent for DNA matching to the Wildlife Institute of India, along with leg-hold traps allegedly sourced from Haryana. Separate reports have linked Singh and Wasim to a 2023 seizure in Tamil Nadu’s Sathyamangalam forest, also credited at the time to Wildlife SOS.

Response

Wildlife SOS has since issued a statement rejecting the allegations outright. The organisation, which says it has worked across 19 states for more than 32 years and assisted forest departments in rescuing over 5.3 lakh animals, called the claims baseless and said it has records to support its work. It warned that treating anti-poaching intelligence gathering as complicity in wildlife crime could deter the informants and whistleblowers that enforcement agencies rely on. “This is shocking, and we are deeply concerned,” Wildlife SOS’s Satyanarayan said, pointing to the organisation’s role in ending India’s dancing-bear trade as an example of its record. Co-founder and secretary Geeta Seshamani said the NGO remains committed to working with enforcement agencies and disputed any suggestion that the case reflects its conduct. Wildlife SOS said it is fully cooperating with investigators

Sources: The Indian Express, Wildlife SOS