Guwahati, July 01: The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has issued a red alert for several tiger reserves in India following the seizure of a nine-foot-long tiger skin and approximately 18kg of bones in Guwahati, Assam. The incident has raised concerns about the activities of organized gangs of Bawaria poachers from Haryana.
The reserves and adjoining forest areas that are now on the radar include Tadoba (Maharashtra), Satpura (Madhya Pradesh), Corbett and Rajaji (Uttarakhand), Pench (Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra), Amangarh and Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), and Valmiki (Bihar). Forest pockets in Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Balaghat have also been put on alert.
The WCCB, a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has instructed field directors of tiger reserves and territorial areas to intensify patrolling based on credible inputs about the activities of organized gangs and recent seizures of tiger body parts.
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The seizure in Guwahati involved four accused individuals, including two women, who were apprehended by the police. The accused have been identified as Ramu Das (40) from Samalkha in Panipat and Om Prakash (45), Maya Devi, and Rajwati, all from Pinjore in Haryana. It was discovered that the tiger skin was intended to be smuggled to Myanmar through a trader from Shillong, Meghalaya.
The origin of the tiger skin is still under investigation. While there are conflicting claims regarding whether it is from Chandrapur or Uttar Pradesh, verification work is being carried out by the WCCB and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). The WCCB officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the skin does not match the database of Tadoba in Maharashtra but may be linked to tigers in the Satpura reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
Despite the denial from Maharashtra’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife), Maheep Gupta, call detail records (CDRs) obtained by the police indicate a Maharashtra connection to the poaching incident. The CDRs suggest that the accused had cell numbers located in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur, and later in Bihar in mid-June. It is believed that the tiger was killed in June, and the poachers began their journey to Assam between June 16 and 18.
The accused individuals have been brought before a court in Kamrup (Metro) district, and the authorities are seeking remand to further investigate the case. Officials hope that through the progress of the interrogation, they will be able to uncover the entire racket and expose the network involved in the illegal poaching activities.
The Bramhapuri and Gadchiroli landscape has a history of organized tiger poaching, with past incidents involving the removal of at least 30 tigers. Poachers tend to target tigers during the monsoon season when patrolling is relatively lax.
The recent seizure of the tiger’s skin and bones highlights the ongoing threat to India’s tiger population and the need for increased efforts in combating wildlife crime. Authorities are working diligently to dismantle the networks involved and protect these magnificent creatures from further harm.
