Bitter lessons

The Pioneer , Friday, January 10, 2014
Correspondent : Madhumitha B
The major tiger State of the country — Madhya Pradesh has 53 cases of tiger poaching and 160 cases of killing of leopard which are being tried in various courts in Madhya Pradesh, some pending for nearly four decades.

The six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh include Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay Dubri and Pench which have 257 big cats.

According to information received by RTI activist Ajay Dubey, one of the oldest cases of tiger death that is still continuing had been registered on May 17, 1975.

The incident had occurred in the Kanha National Park in the state. A yet another case of tiger death registered on September 25, 1979 in Balaghat district is also not decided as yet. Amongst the pending trials, 20 are related to poaching within the reserve.

Among these six poaching cases of big cats in Kanha National Park, five in Pench National Park, four each in Panna National Park and Bandhavgarh National Park and one in Satpura National Park are undergoing trials in courts. These cases were registered between 1975 and 2008.

As per data received from RTI, 337 tigers had died between 2002 and 2012, due to poaching, infighting, accidents and old age. The highest number of 58 tigers was found dead in 2009, followed by 56 in 2011, 36 in 2008 and 28 each in 2007 and 2002. According to experts, it is time that conviction rates in poaching cases must go up if the crime has to be checked in its seriousness.

Often the gangs of poachers are so organised and hi-tech that it is very difficult to nab them. Those who are caught are often the middle men from the local communities and even if their trials continue to languish for decades in the courts, it is as good as getting away scot free. Governance: It’s serious businessz

 
SOURCE : http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/40-yrs-on-trials-in-big-cat-poaching-cases-still-on.html
 


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