CHANDRAPUR: Forest officers have seized a huge cache of wild animal body parts, including four leopard paws, and traps used in poaching during a raid carried out in a remote village Somanpally in Sironcha tehsil on Saturday. Experts have confirmed that the paws and the nails recovered recently from one Tirupati Kawre at Ashti in Gadchiroli are of the same leopard.
On November 28, forest officials had nabbed Kawre with 16 leopard nails. The nails were earlier thought of those of tigers, but experts later confirmed that they actually were of leopards. A team of foresters from Markanda forest range was dispatched to Somanpally to nab the main poacher with the help of forest officers of Asaralli range.
RFO Asaralli range, Laxman Aware, who led the action in Somanpally, informed that middleman Suresh Bedke who had given the leopard nails to Kawre was the first to be rounded up. "During interrogation, Bedke gave information about the poacher Somayya Ramnely. Ramnely's residence was raided, but he managed to escape with leopard's skin. We have seized wildlife remains and traps," he said.
Aware informed that two jaw traps used for poaching of higher carnivore, three diversion traps, 68 rabbit-snares clubbed in three bundles, along with four leopard paws, a paw of giant squirrel, three antlers of spotted deer, carcass of rabbit, 261 feathers of peacock put in three bundles and two shells of tortoise have been recovered.
Bedke was brought to Markanda range on Monday with the recovered material. RFO, Markanda, SB Khobragade said, "Experts have confirmed that the nails recovered earlier and paws are of the same leopard. Ramnely had killed the leopard and gave these nails to Bedke and Kawre to find customer."
Bedke and Kawre were produced before the court, which granted them bail on Monday.
