Berhampur: Record haul of unlawful wildlife gadgets, one held

By Express News Service

BERHAMPUR: In a significant haul, sleuths of Berhampur forest division seized report amount of unlawful wildlife gadgets together with two leopard hides and the pores and skin of a noticed deer from a home in Titigaon village underneath Surangi panchayat of Patrapur block right here on Tuesday.

On a tip off, a raid was carried out on the home of 1 Balaram Sahu (32) in Titigaon village underneath Samantiapalli vary. During search, two leopard hides, pores and skin of a noticed deer, two deer antlers, 38 porcupine quills, seven wild boar enamel, a pangolin scale, 5 leopard enamel, a leopard claw, hoof of mouse deer, leopard bone and tissue have been recovered from the home, assistant conservator of forest (ACF) Ashok Kumar Behera mentioned. Besides, a tractor-laden with timber planks of various sizes was additionally seized.

Balaram had saved the wildlife gadgets since a while and was trying to find a purchaser. The raid was carried out by Samantiapalli forester Rajat Kumar Mishra and his staff together with Patrapur tehsildar Amit Kumar Nayak. Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Berhampur Amlan Nayak mentioned it’s one the biggest single seizure of wildlife gadgets within the final one decade within the division. Balaram was arrested and produced in court docket after interrogation. Search is underway at his home.

The DFO confirmed that many of the seized wildlife gadgets are previous however one in all hides is contemporary. “We will appeal in the court to take Balaram on remand for further investigation,” Nayak added. On the opposite hand, Balaram pleaded innocence and mentioned the gadgets seized from his home have been collected from the forest throughout a interval of 5 years.

Sources within the Forest division mentioned investigation is underway to establish if Balaram is a part of any organised wildlife smuggling racket. Poaching of leopards, a Schedule I animal underneath the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, has elevated within the State.  At least 60 leopard hides have been seized by the enforcement wings of police and Forest division within the final two years.