'Laws need more teeth to nail wildlife crimes'

The Pioneer , Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Correspondent : Staff Reporter
Pioneer News Service

New Delhi

Despite the public outcry and media attention on vanishing wildlife, existing laws are insufficient in tackling the organised poaching syndicate.

In the first ever meeting of wildlifers and investigators, the Central Bureau of Investigation acknowledged on Monday that criminal prosecution under Wildlife (Protection) Act was insufficient to neutralise a gang whereas special Acts like Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) where extremely useful.

Wiping out one link in illicit wildlife trade will not contain the crime, the CBI said in its presentation at the day-long seminar. It pointed out that poaching was carried out by gangs other than that run by notorious Sansar Chand. Poachers are mostly tribals like Bawarias and Bahelias, traditionally involved in the trade, while buyers are mostly across the borders in Tibet and Nepal.

The agency felt that investigation trail extending to several countries is a major impediment to solving these crimes.

To effectively crack down on wildlife crime, the agency has called for multi-pronged action against all prominent gangs and all stakeholders in the crime chain.

With the turnover of this illegal trade being around $25 billion every year globally, India has become the target of poachers and smugglers since it is still relatively rich in wildlife, Minister of State for Environment NN Meena told a seminar on 'Coordinated Efforts towards Wild Life Enforcement'.

"The enforcement infrastructure with the Central and State Governments is less than adequate to deal with the situation. Recent seizures of wildlife articles warrant immediate action to save valuable wildlife heritage of our country," the Minister said.

Wildlife crime control bureaux is setting up regional offices in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai while five more regional offices are proposed in Guwahati, Chandigarh, Silchar, Bareilly and Jabalpur.

CBI Director Vijay Shanker sought stricter punishment for wildlife criminals. The meeting was the first step in the direction of intelligence sharing and coordination among enforcement agencies.

 
SOURCE : The Pioneer, Tuesday, November 28, 2006
 


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