Monday, April 09, 2012, 12:29
Two skins of endangered clouded leopards have been seized and two people have been arrested near the famed Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam, an official said.
Following a tip-off, a team led by Bhuyanpara forest range officer Adhan Oza Saturday raided a shop in Milan Bazar in Baksa district, some 20 km from the reserve, leading to the recovery of the skins, which were six months old.
Two people who had come to sell the illegal items were arrested, Oza said. The accused were produced at the Barpeta district sessions court, and after which they were sent to Barpeta jail.
Clouded leopards are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wild life Protection Act 1972 - the highest protection accorded to endangered wild animals in India.
This was the second seizure by Oza and his team last week.
On April 3, a leopard skin was seized and one person was arrested in Bhogpur Ghat on the eastern boundary of the reserve. The arrested person told the investigators that he had been paid Rs.2,000 to transport the skin to another location. He was sent to jail.
However, one of the two carrying the skin managed to escape on a bicycle.
Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) are smaller in size than the leopards (Panthera pardus), smallest of the four big cats.
The Manas sanctuary, spread across more than 2,000 sq km on the foothills of the Himalayas, is home to tigers, elephants, wild buffaloes, rhinos, clouded leopards and leopards, among other animals.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/two-clouded-leopard-skins-seized-in-assam_769104.html
Two skins of endangered clouded leopards have been seized and two people have been arrested near the famed Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam, an official said.
Following a tip-off, a team led by Bhuyanpara forest range officer Adhan Oza Saturday raided a shop in Milan Bazar in Baksa district, some 20 km from the reserve, leading to the recovery of the skins, which were six months old.
Two people who had come to sell the illegal items were arrested, Oza said. The accused were produced at the Barpeta district sessions court, and after which they were sent to Barpeta jail.
Clouded leopards are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wild life Protection Act 1972 - the highest protection accorded to endangered wild animals in India.
This was the second seizure by Oza and his team last week.
On April 3, a leopard skin was seized and one person was arrested in Bhogpur Ghat on the eastern boundary of the reserve. The arrested person told the investigators that he had been paid Rs.2,000 to transport the skin to another location. He was sent to jail.
However, one of the two carrying the skin managed to escape on a bicycle.
Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) are smaller in size than the leopards (Panthera pardus), smallest of the four big cats.
The Manas sanctuary, spread across more than 2,000 sq km on the foothills of the Himalayas, is home to tigers, elephants, wild buffaloes, rhinos, clouded leopards and leopards, among other animals.
http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/two-clouded-leopard-skins-seized-in-assam_769104.html
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ReplyDeleteClouded leopards are native to Indochina, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Nepal.In Assam, they have been observed in forests but have not been recorded in protected areas.(Ref-Choudhury, A.U. (1992) The Clouded leopard in Assam. Oryx 27 (1): 51–53.) They occur in northern West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Since it mainly survives in most of the places in India, Its high time for our govt to take big steps to avoid such incidents happening. Any suggestions from your side?
ReplyDeleteAssam is a highly tensed area, where rangers and park officials are always in a raging war against poachers. The state government and the Reserve officials are more into the protection of tigers, one horned rhino and elephants. But its high time for the government and the park officials to concentrate on all fauna species found in Kaziranga, orang, manas and other reserves in Assam. Poaching is a highly organized network nowadays, so the government should strict the laws on poaching and arrange bigger budgets on protection, weaponry and training of the park rangers. Not to forget Corruption is a big setback on a positive progress
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