The rising trend of police making seizures of wildlife contraband including leopard pelts, bear gall bladders, pangolin scales and body parts with bones of various creatures has given the activists and wildlife enthusiasts cause for concern about the safety of wildlife in the state. Instead of implementing solutions to tackle the rising human-wildlife conflict, steps like the state government offering bullet expense to those shooting a wild boar officially declared vermin on the farm field have further expanded scope for poaching activities with the big cats- especially the leopard remaining a major target of poachers and wildlife criminals. Activists are apprehensive stating that with the bulk of governmental machinery focused on facilitating a free and fair Vidhan Sabha election 2017, poachers may step up their activities in the jungles and mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. Some have even suggested that the divisional forest officers, sub divisional officers and others in the forest department should be kept free of election duty considering the need for the protection of wildlife including the national animal tiger.
Talking to The Pioneer on condition of anonymity, a wildlife activist expressed concern stating that the wildlife crime network from poachers and informants to the carriers and traders are active in the state and may try to exploit this time when the focus and bulk of the government machinery is busy in preparations to ensure a smooth Vidhan Sabha election 2017. He said, “Considerable quantity of wildlife contraband including leopard pelts and black bear gall bladder, were seized by the police in different cases of wildlife crime which showed an upward spike towards the end of 2016. In this year, hardly have about 10 days passed in 2017 and already about nine leopard pelts have been seized by the authorities. The state forest department is already struggling to achieve the required level of wildlife security and deputation of the divisional forest officer, sub divisional officer and other personnel of the forest department for election duty might further exert a detrimental effect on wildlife security and other aspects of the department’s functioning. Such personnel of the forest department should be exempted from election duty to prevent the poachers from exploiting the situation,” he opined.
According to a report of the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the highest quantity of Asian big cat body parts seized in border districts between 2011 and 2015 were of leopards, followed by tigers. The highest number of seizure cases (20) was reported from Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, which shares a border with both Nepal and China. One tiger pelt, four kilogrammes of tiger bones, one snow leopard skin, 32 leopard skins and 20 kg of leopard bones were seized in this district during the period 2011 to 2015. The second highest number of seizure cases (seven) was reported from the state’s Uttarkashi district, which shares a border with China. Fifteen leopard pelts were seized in this district during the period 2011 to 2015.
It is pertinent to mention here towards the end of 2016, during September, two men were arrested with two leopard pelts in the Clement Town area of Dehradun by the police special task force. The police had been receiving confidential information about the poaching of wild animals in the remote and high altitude Himalayan region in Uttarkashi district. The pelts, bones and body parts of the poached wildlife were reportedly being smuggled to Nepal-Tibet region. later, during November 2016, seizure of six gall bladders of Himalayan black bear (Ursus Thibetanus) in two separate cases further elicited focus on the continued poaching in Uttarakhand. The three men apprehended by the authorities in these seizures had spoken of poaching of the black bear at an alarming rate especially in the jungles in some parts of Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts. Sources state that these are only a few examples of the wildlife crime scenario in Uttarakhand as it is generally considered that more wildlife contraband is traded illegally than the quantity seized by the authorities. The tiger, leopard, Himalayan black bear, pangolin, various species of tortoise and turtles along with different species of birds feature prominently on the list of poachers. Apart from those poaching for money, a considerable number of people are also believed to carry out the poaching of deer, wild boar, red jungle fowl and other animals and birds for consumption of meat. While the human-wildlife conflict also continues in different parts of the state, poaching and other wildlife crime have also continued contrary to official claims, averred an activist. It remains to be seen whether the authorities are able to prevent wildlife criminals and poachers from exploiting the election time to kill wildlife.