New Delhi, December 12: A man was arrested on Tuesday in Rehrakol town of Orissa after a joint operation by Orissa Police, Orissa Forest Department and NGO Wildlife SOS. A young sloth bear cub was also rescued from the possession of accused Jumman Khan.
According to the police, the three-week-old sloth bear cub was found in a sack and it had not yet opened its eyes. Officials said that Khan had probably picked it from the forests of Rehrakol. The forests of Sambalpur and Rehrakol are a natural habitat for the Indian sloth bear, which is a Schedule 1 protected animal — officially at the same level of protection as the tiger. Sloth bear cubs are poached and traded for illegal bear dancing.
“The forests of Orissa have lost approximately 300 cubs in the past two years. Khan is suspected to have been involved in many cases of poaching,” said a source.
Six other people were also held following Khan’s arrest and subsequent interrogation led to the seizure of Pangolin scales which are used illegally as an aphrodisiac.
The accused has been booked under various sections of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Trading in sloth bears is punishable with imprisonment for up to seven years.
