6 in net for Simlipal poaching

Six poachers accused of killing a leopard, nine sambars and a spotted dear were arrested from Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha during the wee hours on Friday. Ten antlers and leopard skin have been seized from their possession.

Earlier this week, four other poachers charged with the killing of three elephants were also arrested, with ivory in their possession. For a reserve that is notorious for poaching, the successive arrests may prove to be deterrents to the thriving well organized crime.

The raid, based on a tip off, was conducted in dramatic circumstances by Ghanshyam Mohanta, Range Officer of Besoi, and staffs with wildlife activist Bhanumitra Acharya. Acharya is also the founder of Simlipal Tiger Protection Force in the reserve.

Acharya, who had posed as a decoy wildlife trader from Kolkata said, "As per a pre- planned move, I had struck a deal of Rs.1.70 lakh with the poachers to buy the animal parts. Lured by the deal, the poachers had assembled in the Chandbilla village within the range waiting for me to arrive. However, caught completely unawares they were nabbed in time by us."

According to Mohanta, the leopard skin measuring six-feet eight inches from tip of nose to end of tail, indicated it was a sub-adult leopard. The height of the antlers varied between 2.5 feet- 3 feet."

Earlier this week, eight pieces of ivory, weighing over five kgs, two country-made guns and a bottle of poison were seized from the four arrested poachers.

Interrogations have revealed that the poachers had made use of the deadly agricultural insecticide Thimet, which had been smeared on the carcass of a calf that the leopard had eaten and eventually died. One of the arrested Sankhla Tudu was a regular supplier of poison and killed the animals for the poachers. Amongst the others arrested include Pradhan Hembrom, Mansingh Marandi, Saiba Kisku, Sona Soren and Dhananjan Soren.

While admitting the thriving of the well-organised crime of poaching Field Director Anup Nayak said one way to break its back was to involve the local villagers in the raids as they are well acquainted with both the forest and poachers. There’s particularly a well-knit gang involved in poaching of elephants for tusks, he pointed out.