In the lowland rainforests of Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India, tigers, clouded leopards, eagles and hornbills dot the landscape. The area is also home to the Nyishi community, the largest Indigenous tribe in the state, where the men traditionally don a byopa, an elaborate handwoven cane cap with the upper beak and casque of a great hornbill attached to the top edge, and an eagle’s claw at the back. They also wield a machete fitted either with the short, squat jaw of the clouded leopard or the much larger one of a tiger.

“The tiger rules the jungle. The eagle rules the sky. Wearing their parts implies inhabiting their mighty spirit, protecting the people. It’s a status symbol,” says Nabam Bapu, an entrepreneur from the Nyishi tribe based in the state’s Papum Pare district.

But hunting rare animals and wearing their body parts when wildlife numbers are declining in the state has always troubled Bapu. In January 2020, he teamed up with his friend Anang Tadar, a tech innovator, to provide an alternative to the traditional headgear by replicating the animal parts using a 3D printer.

“It took us two years to source raw materials for the product, from an array of synthetic resin to plastic materials, wood and fire-resistant glass,” says Tadar. “We are exploring the use of plant-based and eco-friendly resin as well.”

The enterprise is one of a number of projects worldwide that aims to protect the traditions of local communities while also protecting animals from being killed for their pelts and parts.

In southern Africa, Panthera, a wildcat conservation charity, launched its Furs for Life programme in 2013, creating synthetic leopard fur to replace real leopard skins used for capes, known as heritage furs or amambatha.

The charity estimates that the project has led to a 50% reduction in the use of real leopard skins for the capes, which are used by followers of Shembe, one of the largest Indigenous churches in South Africa.

Once a month in Arunachal Pradesh, Bapu and Tadar hike along miles of dirt roads to take their latest samples to their village elders for consultation. “It is important to have the village elders check on their quality as only they can give the right approval on their proximity to a real animal part as they have been hunting for ages,” says Tadar.

So far, Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments, the startup company launched by Bapu along with Likha Nana, a history researcher and Bapu’s wife, has produced more than 100 replicas of the milk-white teeth of the clouded leopard and the tiger, the off-white teeth of wild boar, and the neon-yellow talons of the eagle. They are currently working on 3D printouts of a great Indian hornbill’s beak.

The state of Arunachal Pradesh is home to 26 major tribes, including the Nyishi, Adi, Galo, Apatani and Tagin. Amid fears that their culture and traditional practices are on the wane, the Arunachal state government encourages students to wear traditional dress every Friday and for government workers to do so once a month. As a result, wild animal parts remain in high demand.

“Not everyone can afford the wild animal parts. Can you imagine the price of tiger teeth on the black market? It’s in the range of 400,000 to 500,000 rupees [£3,800-£4,700],” says Bapu.

While the authorities are trying to combat poaching and the global illegal wildlife trade – the state shares international borders with Myanmar in the east and China in the north – “monitoring poaching activities can be a daunting task,” says Tana Tapi, deputy chief wildlife warden of Arunachal Pradesh, who is based in the state capital, Itanagar.

Arunachal Ivory and Ornaments is hoping to play its part in the fight against this illegal trade. Rajkamal Goswami, a researcher who has worked in conservation in north-east India for a decade, says: “Success of such designs will depend on how they are adopted by the local communities. The entrepreneurs should try and convince the influential local institutions to adopt such products to make real differences in the extent and intensities of hunting.”

Bapu is sure that his company can make a difference. “If people are shooting wild animals mercilessly using hi-tech guns,” he says, “why not use technology for a greater purpose: to save wildlife and restore cultural practices.”

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