The Unsung Foot Soldiers Of Mahseer Conservation

Standing at 196 cm. (six feet six inches) in his socks, Owen Bosen, looks every bit the quintessential dorai from our colonial past.

- Sandeep Chakrabarti

His facility with the local languages gives him easy access to the homes and hearts of the local community residing by the bank of the river Cauvery. Decades ago, he rode down the untarred dusty road from the small town of Kanakapura to Sangam, the confluence of the Arkavati river with the Cauvery. Armed with a fishing rod, he was looking for some sport of catching a fish or two.

As he parked his bike near the bus stand, Bola and Suban approached him. Employed as guards of the Wildlife Association of South India (WASI), their sharp eyes quickly spotted the fishing rod that Owen was carrying. They marched up to him and asked him to produce the fishing license. Taken aback by the authority and attitude displayed by Bola and Suban, Owen confessed that he did not have one and that he was not aware that a fishing license was required to fish in the Cauvery. He was taken to the sign board, which was prominently displayed and as he read through its contents he quickly realised that this stretch of the Cauvery was ‘protected waters’ under the custodianship of WASI, and therefore fishing without a valid licence was tantamount to poaching, a punishable offence, to be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land. Not wanting to argue, Owen, after some polite conversation with Bola and Suban to build bridges for the future, rode back to Bengaluru and quickly applied for WASI membership.

THE CAUVERY AND THE MAHSEER