Thursday 19 February 2015

Indian national held in Sri Lanka with pangolin scales

An Indian who attempted to smuggle more than 2 kg of pangolin scales to India was nabbed at the Bandaranayake International Airport (BIA) by the Sri Lankan Customs. Investigation revealed the suspect had traveled between India and Sri Lanka on hundred times during the past two years.
http://customstoday.com.pk/sl-customs-seizes-illicit-indian-pangolin-clutches-smuggler/

Wednesday 18 February 2015

Tiger declared as man-eater shot dead

Tamil Nadu forest officials shot dead a tiger today which had killed two persons last week in Wayanad, Kerala and Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu.

Tiger skin, bones seized in Dharchula and Chandrapur

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) seized a tiger skin and 4 kg tiger bones at Indo-Nepal border, Dharchula, Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand on 17 February 2015, a citizen of Nepal has arrested.
http://www.amarujala.com/news/city/pithoragarh/pithoragarh-hindi-news/tigtiger-skin-bones-including-the-smuggler-arrested-hindi-news/

Maharashtra forest officials seized 19 kg of tiger bones at Chandrapur district on 17 February 2015, 1 arrested.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Bones-piece-of-skin-of-freshly-poached-tiger-seized/articleshow/46279735.cms

18 people convicted for sambar deer poaching

Civil Court Junior Division in Sakoli had convicted 18 persons for killing sambar deers in Nagzira wildlife sanctuary, Maharashtra on July 2004 and sentenced them to one year imprisonment and Rs. 900 fine each.

Friday 13 February 2015

Sambar deer poachers convicted in Madhya Pradesh

Chief Judicial Magistrate of Balaghat had convicted four persons for killing a sambar deer in the district on November 2004 and sentenced them to three years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine each.

7 leopard skins seized in Punjab

Police and wildlife officials seized around seven leopard skins in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab on 12 February 2015.
http://m.jagran.com/punjab/hoshiarpur-12074400.html

Update:

In a joint operation conducted by the Officers of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and Punjab Police, 11 Leopard skins, 95 kgs of Leopard bones, 9 Otter skins and a piece of tiger fat; were seized at Mukerian, Punjab.
http://www.wccb.gov.in/Content/NewsDetail.aspx?news_id=141

Thursday 12 February 2015

22 shahtoosh shawls seized in Switzerland

The Swiss Customs Administration (SCA) and the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) have seized 22 shahtoosh shawls. These illegal luxury products are made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope, a strictly protected species.
http://www.blv.admin.ch/themen/handel_wild/05116/05773/index.html?lang=en

Wild animal skins seized, 4 arrested in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh forest officials were raided the tents of organised poaching group based in Central India at near Gosalpur in Jabalpur district on 11 February 2015 and seized 8 skins of wild animals suspected to be of jackal and otters. In addition to this 14 leg-hold steel traps, skinning tools, lathies and other poaching equipments were also seized. 4 women present in the tent were arrested and men are absconding.

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Two leopards rescued from wire snare

Forest officials rescued two leopards from wire snare placed by poachers on 10 February 2015, one each at Hassan district of Karnataka and Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.

Two elephants electrocuted

Two elephants were electrocuted on 10 February 2015, one from an illegal electric fence in Erode district of Tamil Nadu and other from live wire placed by poachers in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh bordering Tamil Nadu.

Rhino horn seized in West Bengal

Forest officials arrested five persons with a rhino horn in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal on 10 February 2015.
http://echoofindia.com/jalpaiguri-poachers-arrested-rhino-horn-78285

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Elephant calves smuggling racket busted

Two elephant calves captured from wild and two kumki elephants were seized and four poachers arrested at Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh on 6 February 2015.
http://www.tntmagazine.in/arunachal-pradesh-poachers-arrested-for-smuggling-elephants/

There is a high demand for captive elephants from southern states and mostly elephants were captured from north-eastern states, see this report
http://www.teriuniversity.ac.in/mct/pdf/new/assignment/Chaturbhuja_Study_on_illegal_sale_and_transfer_of_elephants_from_Assam.pdf

Maharashtra's conviction rate in wildlife cases dismal 11.56%

A review of judgments delivered in the last six years shows that of the 147 court orders under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA), only 17 have recorded convictions, or a success rate of 11.56%. The low success rates stated above, as well as the judgments themselves, point to serious lacunae in the investigation, documentation, and prosecution of wildlife crime in Maharashtra. Such a low conviction rate has serious implications for the deterrence value of the law.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/States-conviction-rate-in-wildlife-cases-dismal-11-56/articleshow/46179630.cms

Leopard skin seized in Palamau tiger reserve

One leopard skin was seized at Palamau Tiger Reserve area of Jharkhand on 9 February 2015.

Bison killed in Odisha

A man was arrested by forest officers on charges of poaching an Indian bison at Ustapalli forest in Dharakote block of Odisha's Ganjam district on 7 February 2015.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/man-arrested-for-poaching-an-indian-bison-115020900262_1.html

One more leopard killed in Himachal Pradesh

Leopard poaching incidents are increasing in Himachal Pradesh, last week 6 skins were seized in Bilaspur district. In latest incident one leopard caught in trap was died at Solan district.
http://www.jagran.com/himachal-pradesh/solan-12061736.html

Monday 9 February 2015

Range Officer sentenced to three years imprisonment

A forest range officer was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment by the court of the special judge for Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) cases in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh for accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/Forest-ranger-convicted-by-ACB-court/articleshow/46143179.cms

Friday 6 February 2015

Elephant electrocuted in Uttarakhand

One elephant was electrocuted from a low hanging high tension power line passing through the forest area at Lansdowne forest division of Uttarakhand on 5 February 2015.
http://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/pauri-garhwal-12048604.html

Leopard skin and bones seized in Uttarakhand

Police officials seized a leopard skin, bones and arrested three people at Devprayag, Tehri district of Uttarakhand on 5 February 2015.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/5657478_3-smugglers-arrested-with-leopard-skin-in-U-Khand.html

Thursday 5 February 2015

Monday 2 February 2015

Karnataka empowers foresters to get call records

Karnataka government has decided to allow forest officials to obtain Call Data Records (CDR) of culprits from telecom service providers. This move, forest officials said, will help them in cracking the whip on poaching activities and help forest officials probe possible role of global networks behind illegal trade in wildlife in Karnataka.
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/Bangalore/Others/Foresters-can-now-get-call-records/articleshow/46088174.cms

Spotted black terrapins seized at India-Bangladesh border

The Border Security Force (BSF) of India seized 185 Spotted black terrapins close to the Indo-Bangla border late on 29 January 2015. The turtles were being smuggled into Bangladesh near the Kalanchi Border Outpost in the Gaighata police station area of North 24-Parganas district, West Bengal.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/46069295.cms