Tuesday, 06 August 2013
The Pioneer | PNS | Dehradun |

The Forest Department with the help of two wildlife NGOs has nabbed two persons in Pithoragarh and recovered five leopard pelts and bones of two big cats from them.

One of the men arrested with this wildlife contraband is Gopi Bawaria, the younger brother of notorious big cat poacher Tota Ram Bawaria. The department is working on some leads from the arrested men and is expected to seize one more leopard pelt soon. Chief conservator of forests, Kumaon Circle, Param Jit Singh, who is presently holding the additional charge of the State anti-poaching cell director, informed that two persons had been arrested with the wildlife contraband and based on leads from them one more pelt was expected to be seized soon.

Gopi had confessed that he had poached two leopards himself and sourced the pelts of three others from locals. Singh appealed that locals, especially in rural areas should inform the department about arrival of outsiders with a dubious interest in the wildlife to help clamp down on poaching. Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) and the Endangered Flora and Fauna on Earth Conservation Team (EFFECT) also helped in the seizure along with the Kumaon circle forest department SOG Kumaon Eagles and staff of the Pithoragarh forest division.

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