Following intelligence reports that a notorious wildlife trafficking gang has been given the order to procure 25 tigers for the black market, Chhindwara forest officials have nabbed eight suspects near Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
The Times of India reports that these arrests could be a breakthrough in the investigation of the gruesome discovery of a beheaded tiger in the Chandrapur forest range in the neighboring state of Maharashtra. The big cat had been chopped to bits and the paws were missing.
Chhindwara divisional forest officer Ashok Kumar told TOI that killing implements were recovered from the gang members.
We have recovered a metal trap, a knife, sharp iron rods, hammers, wires and wooden rods among other things used to kill tiger from their possession. After trapping the big cat, the modus operandi of poachers is that they put the sharp iron rod inside striped animal’s mouth to kill him.
The tiger’s body is beaten to “loosen its skin”, which is removed with a “specially-designed knife” — also found among the gang’s supplies.
The suspects were identified as Sanjesh of Shivpuri, Zilendar Giri of Sarguja in Chhattisgarh, and Rai Singh, Dharma, Dhara, Ishwar, Jorawar and Kismat, all from Chhitorgarh in Rajasthan. According to dailybhaskar.com, ten additional suspects have been detained near the Panna Tiger Reserve; names were not released.
Forest guards in the Indian state of Maharashtra have been given the nod to shoot tiger killers on sight, without legal interference by human rights activists.
Image © iStockphoto.com
Rhishja Cota
I am the founder of Annamiticus and I have been researching and writing about wildlife trafficking issues since 2009. I also founded World Pangolin Day in 2012. I am the author of USAID Wildlife Asia's Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk. I co-facilitated and was a presenter at the USAID Wildlife Asia Pangolin Care Workshop. At the 4th Regional Dialogue on Combating Trafficking of Wild Fauna and Flora, I facilitated the species roundtables on pangolins. I have trekked with forest rangers in Cambodia, journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES meetings, I collaborate with colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species. I hosted the Behind the Schemes podcast and am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine. I enjoy music, desert gardening, herping, reading, creating, and walking with my dogs. Check out my t-shirts and stickers at snoots + teefers.