The State authorities have not yet secured any information regarding the seizure of 168 kg tiger bones and seven tiger pelts in Nepal during January this year.
Wildlife activists have been stressing on the need for a joint inquiry to ascertain the source of this contraband as it is suspected that tigers could have been poached in Uttarakhand to supply the pelts and body parts.
However, Uttarakhand forest department officials state that inspite of making enquiries from their counterparts in Nepal, they have not yet been provided any information. Department officials state that the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) will do the needful in this regard. Wildlife activists said that this is a sign of the apathy of the State authorities.
Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Administration and Intelligence, and Anti-Poaching Cell chief, SK Dutt said that he had earlier contacted officials in Nepal, but they had not provided any information regarding the source of the contraband. “Since this is an international affair, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau will look into the matter. A team from the WCCB was slated to visit Nepal to collect relevant information, but this has not happened yet. We are in touch with the bureau to keep abreast of any developments in the case,” he added.
Former vice chairman of Uttarakhand’s Forest and Environment Advisory Committee Anil Baluni said that the State lacks the will power to pursue this and other wildlife crime cases. “When the top brass in the State is apathetic, the department alone can’t be blamed for its apathy. During the tenure of the BJP-led State Government, we had held two meets with officials of Nepal and discussed wildlife crime issues, even got a poacher questioned in a Nepalese jail, but such action doesn’t seem to be happening now,” he said.
The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) Uttarakhand in-charge Rajendra Agrawal lamented that the State authorities had done nothing to check whether the contraband had been sourced from Uttarakhand. The authorities are not eager to pursue inquiry into the seizure because the truth might expose their inefficiency, he added.