The online magazine Buzzfeed accuses the nature conservation organization WWF of providing financial and logistical support to criminal gamekeepers. In several countries, the park guards have committed acts of violence not only against alleged poachers, but also against uninvolved civilians, it said yesterday in the Buzzfeed article.
Game wardens and paramilitaries cooperating with the WWF have beaten, tortured or even killed prisoners. Buzzfeed also reports on an attempted rape. According to the magazine, the incidents occurred in Nepal, India and Cameroon, among others.
The WWF informed dpa that it was taking all allegations very seriously and had commissioned an independent investigation of the cases. „Respect for human rights is at the heart of our mission,“ the organization wrote. The WWF has been involved in conservation projects around the world for almost 60 years, for example to rescue endangered species.
