M.P. Mishra, SP (superintendent of police) of Bijnore, says, “STF and the district police were working on a gang which was illegally poaching leopards and other endangered species in the forest area which also touches Jim Corbett National Park Uttarakhand. On February 9, skins of two leopards and one tiger were recovered from the gang of three. Some bones were also recovered from this gang.”

Ramesh Pandey, posted as deputy director in central government’s MoEF (ministry of environment and forest) got a tip-off that a few poachers were gruesomely killing animals in forest areas of Jim Corbett National Park and Najibabad (around 25 kilometres from district headquarter Bijnore). On this piece of information, a task force was constituted in which Pandey along with Up Police’s STF team and Mishra’s team nabbed Puneet alias Cheenu, Sunil Sapera and Mohd. Umar Kalandar near the railway crossing on Najibabad-Kotdwara road.

The trio were travelling in Tata Indica car bearing registration number UA 07L 7011. Arrested persons were allegedly involved in poaching and were found in possession of two skins of leopards, tiger skin, around 40 grams of bones of endangered animals along with weapons and leather straps to kill these animals.

Mishra has booked these three poachers under Wild Life Protection Act and Gangsters Act. Dehradun forest officials have also swung in action after the news spread that the poaching in Dugadha area has become rampant and forest officials are not ruling out the involvement of these poachers in more acts of poaching.

Investigation officers are trying to find out the trail for the supply route of the skins and body parts and are working on the intelligence inputs to nab the traders and other racketeers involved in this illicit trade.

In a joint more, the forest officials of UP and Uttarakhand and also the police department are maintaining a strict vigil to stop poaching and are also preparing road map on the escape routes of the area, especially on the border areas due to porous border between the adjoining states. Poachers just do not hesitate in killing leopards, porcupines, barking deers, wild boars and axis deers from these areas.

Anshuman Singh, industrialist and agriculturist at Bijnore, proffers, “As I am a forest lover, I am of the opinion that jointly government officials and citizens should work for stopping poaching and educate the poachers about national loss and also tell poachers about lending credence to continuity of poaching for trade purposes.”

Statistics suggest that the culprits nabbed in illegal trading of animals and poaching are generally credulous locals who poach animals for making a fast buck and at times in connivance with forest department and police personnel. In some cases NGOs are also involved as happened recently in a case of Uttarakhand Forest Department (UKD), in which a criminal was acting as an informer for Dehradun based NGO and at the same times was encouraging villagers to poach endangered animals. S.K. Dutt, chief conservator of forest administration and intelligence (wildlife) and in-charge of anti-poaching cell of UKD has taken a serious cognizance of this episode and issued strict instructions against the informer in this illegal activity and if found guilty he will be booked under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.

Though there is a decline in poaching as per the census with the all-round efforts of conservationists, forest department, police and citizens but still timely measures have to be adopted to stop poaching especially of endangered species which are on the verge of extinction. Urbanization is also taking the toll on depletion of forest cover with the infringement of humans n surroundings meant for animals and intrusion in forest land by humans, causing destruction.