WILDLIFE

Leopard skin seized, 1 held

COOCH BEHAR, Nov. 13: Posing as wealthy buyers a team of forest department personnel arrested a man and seized a hide of a leopard from Dalsingpara in Dooars of Jalpaiguri district at the wee hours of today.

 

Forest department sources said that a local poacher, identified as Budhua Kharia, killed a leopard in the Basra forest area under Cooch Behar Wildlife Division about a week ago. He was trying to sell off the skin against a good price. Last night, acting on a tip-off a team of forest personnel in association with police appeared at his residence at Dalsingpara Tea Estate under Jaigaon police station posing as buyers and started bargaining. Kharia reportedly asked for Rs 20,000. During the fake trading the man was arrested. Today, the nabbed man was produced at Alipurduar court and his bail plea was rejected.

 

Forest department sources said they were trying to unearth the whereabouts of other members of the gang of poachers operational in Dooars and adjoining areas.

 

Expressing their sharp reaction over the incident the secretary of an environmentalist organisation, Nature and Adventure Study Group (NASG), Mr Arup Guha said mere observance of Wildlife Week or Forest Week was not enough to protect the wild animals. The forest department should beef up its vigilance in forests to save the wild animals from being poached. As the leopard was reportedly killed about a week ago it means it was killed during the Wildlife Week. He demanded stringent punishment for the offence. The forest department should start a massive campaign asking the people not to buy skins or other parts of the body of any wild animal, he opined. []

 

PHOTO : Two inmates in the deer park at Rasik-bil in Tufanganj, Cooch Behar.