From Rs 2.21-crore worth of seizures from 15 wildlife smugglers in 2014 to a whopping Rs 187.69-crore worth of seizures from 93 smugglers in 2017 so far, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) — a paramilitary force that guards the 1,751-km Indo-Nepal and the 699-km Indo-Bhutan border — has notched up major successes in its drive against wildlife crime.
The SSB crackdown against wildlife crime has netted major cache of endangered species like tokay gecko, lizards, and prohibited items, like snake venom, tiger and leopard skins and bones, elephant tusks and ivory, rhino horn, snake sand boa, tortoise, turtle and deer, deer skin and deer meat. Recently, the SSB seized snake venom worth Rs 100 crore in West Bengal, which happens to be the most wildlife-crime-prone State with 125 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh with 54 cases.
Sources said Alipurduar in West Bengal is the main hub of wildlife smuggling. As many 98 cases of seizure had been reported from Alipurduar followed by Bahraich (15) and Balrampur (15) in UP, Udalguri (14) in Assam, Jalpaiguri (12) and Darjeeling (10) in West Bengal. Other areas of wildlife smuggling are lakhimpur Kheri in UP and Kishanganj and West Champaran in Bihar. The illegal trade also includes body parts of dead animals, like rhino horns, leopard skin and paw, deer horn and skull, rein deer skin, barking deer skin and elephant trunk.
The data shows that the price of seized products was Rs 11.16 crore and Rs 46.62 crore in 2015 and 2016 respectively. While 43 smugglers were arrested in 2015, the figure rose to 70 in the following year. In 2017, the SSB team has so far seized wildlife products worth Rs 187.69 crore and arrested 93 smugglers in 82 cases.
Officials said in the last two to three years, tokay gecko catchers become active in the Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Bihar. Tokay geckos are trafficked from this region to Southeast Asian countries, where many people believe that medicines made from their meat can cure diseases such as AIDS and cancer. tokay gecko has been included into Schedule III, of Indian Wildlife Protection Act as highly endangered animal.
According to officials, wildlife traffickers usually poach or kill wild animals and traffic their body parts for traditional medicines in China and other East Asian countries. Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinos are the prime targets in trade operations.
“Animal parts like rhino horns, tiger bones, ivory, deer antlers, pangolin scales, lizards and snakes are being smuggled to places like China, Myanmar and other Southeast Asian nations through the open route of Indo-Nepal border and Indo-Bhutan border. This region is presently used as a corridor by the international smuggler, causing a serious concern to the very existence of wildlife in the North-East India. Trade of bones, claws and skin of tiger, Assamese macaque, elephant tusk, smoked snakes and red panda have seen in this region,” said officials.
From Indo-Bhutan and Indo-Nepal border, the SSB team arrested 221 wildlife smugglers and recovered wildlife products worth Rs 244.56 crore in 247 cases registered in Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam between 2014 and 2017.
In 2010, the SSB seized wildlife products valued at only Rs 1.06 crore and arrested two smugglers. In 2011, the value went up to Rs 1.51 crore but only one criminal was held. In 2012, the amount declined to Rs 56 lakh but six criminals were caught. The 2013 value of seized wildlife products again increased to Rs 2.09 crore. A total of 28 smugglers were held.
Officials also admitted that for every record of seized materials, there is no reliable estimate to know how much of Indian wildlife — live and body parts — were smuggled out of the country.
