M Maranko, Regional Deputy Director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), who was in Pune on Thursday, told The Indian Express that the seriousness of wildlife crime has not been properly understood.

As part of the World Environment Day (June 5) theme on taking up the fight against illegal trade in wildlife, the state forest and police department held a capacity-building training programme for the personnel on strengthening wildlife law enforcement in the city. Maranko explained that wildlife crime was serious and therefore, the WCCB is creating its own intelligence network.

“We can identify villagers, students or key officials to be our sources. Who else can we tap to give us important information about illegal trade of wildlife?” he said. The WCCB has a total of 11 staffers at Navi Mumbai and have to keep tab on illegal trade operations in the Western region.

Citing instances on how the WCCB is trying to unearth these organised crime rackets, Maranko said, this year itself the sleuths were following a tip-off that led them to seize four lorries of 90 tonnes of sea shells. These sea shells — protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — were being taken to a private firm at Navi Mumbai to make gel flakes used for oil mining in the Gulf region. Thirteen persons have been detained, he said.

Sensitise e-commerce to tackle illegal wildlife products trade

Alarmed at some online trading portals that advertised sale of bangles made of ivory from elephant’s tusks and others, the WCCB has decided to sensitise the e-commerce websites about the need to tackle the menace of illegal wildlife trade.

“In fact, we also need their help in finding such suspects who offer illegal wildlife products through online trade portals,” Maranko said. There are at least three to four such advertisements online every month and in one case, we even nabbed a person from Mumbai trying to sell star tortoises (protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act).

Confiscated wildlife material to be burnt on June 5

SHOWING ZERO tolerance towards illegal wildlife trade, plans are afoot to make a stockpile of the seized wildlife material – ranging from animals tusks, fins, skin, shell and so on, and burn them on the World Environment Day on June 5 at Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali. Burning the confiscated material has been proposed to send a strong message that illegal wildlife trade will not be tolerated, forest department officials said.

Monitoring of wild animals at sanctuaries shows an increase

There has been increase in the number of animals that could be sighted on May 20 and 21 this year as against the same time frame last year, Sunil Limaye, Chief Conservator of Forests, Pune division said. At four sanctuaries – Bhimashankar, Mayureshwar, Supe and Rehekuri in the Pune division— owing to the large number of artificial water holes set up during this year, several animals were sighted drinking water. For instance, 15 sambar deer, 41 barking deer, 274 chinkara, 1,134 blackbucks, 272 langoor, five leopards , 147 porcupine, among others, were spotted.