Forest department officials have failed to curb poaching in and around Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NBR). According to sources, the majority of poaching cases were not recorded while poachers in most of the recorded incidents eluded forest department officials and the police. They are said to be free due to their connections in political circles.

Going by official records, although the number of poaching incidents in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve has gone down in the past three years but sources have informed that the forest department has failed to nail the big fish of the trade as it was content in merely nabbing petty criminals who were mainly locals. Even NBR officials agree that the big names behind the poaching incidents have seldom been exposed by the foresters as only their local agents were arrested and dragged to the court.

Only 24 wildlife crime incidents were recorded by the reserve administration in the past seven years and in most of these cases only local agents were convicted allowing the main criminals to get away scot-free. It is a well known fact that NBR area has witnessed several incidents of poaching and smuggling of wildlife products recently but accused have not been apprehended till date. Department sources informed that these smugglers were having high political connections that kept the forest officials away from throwing noose around them.

Of the 24 cases registered between 2002 and 2009, convictions were obtained only in 17 while seven were still pending with the court. Five of seven pending cases were registered prior to the year 2005. According to the local public, animals are killed here mainly for big cat skins, bear bile and deer musk pods. As informed by a villager although immediate killing is carried out by locals by he does so either to fetch wildlife product to his outside customers or owing to man-animal conflict.

Locals have also informed that many people from Nepal have been found to be involved in smuggling wildlife products from NBR region. This indicated involvement of some international gang in animal products from NBR but the department and even local police not been able to bust any bigger gang till now.