Eliciting focus on the possibility of about 20 tigers having been poached in the Corbett tiger reserve in the past couple of years, the chief functionary of a voluntary organisation has demanded an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the seizure of six tiger pelts and tiger bones by the police special task force in 2016. The organisation’s representative has alleged that the state forest department is trying to cover up the alarming wildlife security failure exposed by poachers caught with the wildlife contraband during the previous year.
It is learnt that the state forest minister has now directed the principal chief conservator of forests to initiate an investigation into the allegations apart from which the minister has also directed that the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) be asked to resume camera trapping work in the said forest area.
Operation Eye of the Tiger chief functionary Rajeev Mehta has written to the state forest minister Harak Singh Rawat giving details about the seizure of five tiger pelts and bones with three large gin-traps seized by the police STF from Ramchander in Shyampur village of Haridwar on March 13, 2016. Police investigation revealed that a person named Rambhagat along with two accomplices Mukhtar and Hajari had poached two tigers in the jungles near Kotdwar. Ramchander also informed that about two months before his arrest, Rambhagat and Gangaram along with Mukhtar and Hajari had poached three tigers in the jungles of Kotdwar and hid their pelts and bones in pits dug near Kotkadar village in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh. Mehta said, “The five tiger pelts seized were sent to the WII for matching where it was ascertained that four of the pelts were of tigers identified as individuals from Corbett tiger reserve. Further, on revelations made by Ramchander, about 32 separate pits used for hiding wildlife contraband and spears were discovered at Kotkadar. The accused further stated that in the past two years on various occasions his relatives also poached tigers and concealed the pelts and bones in these pits till they found a buyer for the same. later four persons were caught with one tiger pelt from Raiwala area on May 15, 2016. The WII ascertained that of the total six tiger pelts seized, four were from Corbett tiger reserve and one was from the lansdowne forest division adjoining Corbett. With four of the big cats being poached in Corbett, considering Ramchander’s statements and police finding 32 pits, it is possible that about 20-25 tigers were poached in Corbett during a period of three years till now. Instead of acknowledging the failure of intelligence and wildlife security wings, the forest department discontinued camera trapping by the WII and attempted to cover up the case.
The efficiency of senior officials is also questionable considering that eight pelts of tiger and leopard were seized in 2014, 10 in 2015, 30 in 2016 and seven till February 2017. Considering the seriousness of the situation, we demand that an independent departmental inquiry and investigation by the CBI be conducted into these anomalies,” stressed Mehta.