A joint team of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the Odisha Forest and Environment has seized nine leopard and tiger skins and arrested seven persons.
The intensive search in Kalahandi and Nuapada districts in the past two days has led to the seizure.
In Kalahandi, which shares border with Chhattisgarh, there are two divisions.
Two leopard skins and a tiger skin were traced from the north division of Kalahandi and two leopard skins were seized from the south division on Friday. Four leopard skins were found from one house under the Kalahandi (south) division on Saturday.
“We have come across two wildlife smuggling networks. While two leopard skins were seized from a gang from Junagarh area and the rest were handled by another network in the south division,” said Nitish Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer of Kalahandi (north).
Inter-State syndicate
Mr. Kumar said, “As the investigation is at preliminary stage, we have not been able to establish how the wildlife trade is operating. Many people in the network are absconding.”
According to him, all those arrested were mediators and there are three to four sets of people between the seller of wildlife hides and poachers. The syndicate is said to be inter-State one.
In the past one year, the Special Task Force of the Crime Branch and the Forest Department have seized more than 25 leopard skins and 10 elephant tusks, besides pangolins and deer skins from wildlife smugglers.
