Following two separate seizures of pangolin scales, porcupine meat and a dead civet from members of the Sapera community within little more than a week, the Forest department is now planning to keep an eye on the community known to be traditionally involved in poaching.
Wildlife activists have been pointing out for some years now that some residents of Sapera Bastis in various parts of the Terai region are actively involved in poaching and other wildlife crime.
It may be recalled that on November 3, a Special Task Force team of State police had arrested Sapera Basti, Bhaniawala resident Mukesh Nath alias Kanhaiya with 10 kilogram scales of pangolin listed in the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act. later on November 9, acting on inputs provided by TRAFFIC, the anti-poaching cell of the Forest department also nabbed five residents of Sapera Basti, Rispana, from Asharodi range in Dehradun forest division with one roasted porcupine apart from the intestines of the porcupine, one dead civet and other items.
The five arrested men claimed that they had gone to poach for meat but sources said that these men were also on the lookout for pangolin. Pangolin scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine and fetch about Rs10,000 per kg locally and about Rs1, 80,000 per kg in the international market.
Wildlife activists said that members of the Sapera community used to live in the Terai region from Chidiapur in Haridwar to the Kalsi forest division. Members of this community live in about half a dozen Sapera Bastis in Haridwar and Dehradun though not all are involved in wildlife poaching.
The activists further said that some members of the Sapera community, especially in Dehradun forest division and near the Rajaji National Park are involved in wildlife crimes. With their traditional vocation of snake charming not amounting to much due to legal and other factors, members of the community are being drawn towards wildlife crime.
Their knowledge of and access to wildlife is also exploited by bigger poachers to trap or poach wildlife ranging from big cats to reptiles and birds. Department officials state that the activities of dubious members of such communities will be monitored by the department.