On the Trail - Robin des Bois

FAMILY AFFAIRS
Seizure of 8 tiger claws and 4 tiger teeth
Mavanhallah, State of Tamil Nadu, India
July 24, 2013
A mother and her son were arrested in possession
of 8 tiger claws. They led to another man who had
4 tiger teeth with him. They allegedly took these
items from a carcass in an advanced state of decomposition.
The town of Mavahallah is close to
the Mudumalai National Park. Another person was
arrested near Masinagudy in possession of leopard
claws.
© The Hindu
Seizure of 3 leopard skins
States of Uttarakhand and Kerala, India
July 29, 2013
The 2 fleets and the skulls date back about 2 years.
The canines have disappeared. It appears to be the
remains of 2 old leopards that got into the habit
of eating farming animals. One was shot dead, the
second was poisoned with a piece of meat contaminated
with Furadan, a highly toxic pesticide used
normally against insects. Counterfeits are often
produced and it is also used to kill wild animals.
The same day, a third skin was seized in the Kollam
district (Kerala).
Seizure of 78 tiger teeth (1.7 kg), 69 tiger claws
(190 g), 8 bear gall bladders (300 g)
Macau Airport, Special Administrative Region of
Macau, China
July 2013
The 50 year old Chinese citizen was arriving from
Hong Kong. On the alert after the recent attempt
to import ivory hidden in the packaging of chocolate
bars, the Macao customs looked very carefully
at the boxes of fried rolls that showed some abnormalities
when passed through the X-ray. Once the
covers taken off, it appeared the boxes contained
78 tiger teeth, 69 tiger claws and 8 bear gall bladders.
A tiger has 30 teeth of which 4 canines. At
least 4 tigers were killed- 20 if the teeth were all
canines. Teeth and claws can be carved to become
jewellery or use in traditional Chinese medicine to
treat insomnia and fevers. The man is liable to a US$
13,000 fine.
Conviction of 3 years in prison and US$ 166 following
the seizure of a leopard skin and a tiger
skin
Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
July 2013
This affair goes back 23 years. The authorities have
already charged 4 people. Finally, one of them has
been sentenced. 2 other accomplices have passed
away since the deed, while the third was acquitted.
This late judgment was made following the multiplication
of tiger and leopard skin seizures these
last few months, as well as the increase of protests
against the failure of convicting the guilty. The 2
species have been listed under Appendix I since
1975.
GANG
Seizure of 5 leopard skins
Pithoragarh, State of Uttarakhand, India
August 4, 2013
One man was arrested. It seems he had bought the
remains from a local correspondent for US$ 130 to
160. He is linked to nomads from the Kanjar ethnic
community who regularly cross the Himalayan region.
He also holds ties with traffickers in Kotdwar
(Uttarakhand) and in Nepal. With time, he managed
to build up a network of young people in village
communities who killed animals and brought him
the carcasses. Officially he is a farrier.
GANG
7 men and 2 women arrested for poaching a
tiger
Pune, State of Maharashtra, India
August 11, 2013
The gang was arrested in the early hours of Sunday
morning August 11 in the Puna- Mumbaï Express.
The leaders of the group are the well-known Lupustan
and his son, specialists of tiger hunting and
members of the Bahelia Community. Spears were
found in their luggage. The gang apparently also
deals in sandalwood, as well as involved in the capture
of a bear and tiger in Ghatang (Maharashtra)
in May 2013 (see On the Trail # 1). It mainly preys
on tigers in Maharashtra and Mahdya Pradesh ; For
the sale and export of products of his pillages, the
gang has ties with other organisations in the State
of Assam. At least 337 tigers have been killed by
poachers in the last 10 years in India.
Interrogation of the 9 suspects allowed to some
extent to dive into the backstage of Bengal Tiger
hunting. One of the women was used as the « mule
» to convey the bones and skins. There were 6 of
them paid to killed and apart one tiger, and 3 to do
the same to a bear. Despite surveillance of the forest
guards and police forces following the alleged
poachers, the woman, Minar, was able cover over
300km on side roads between Melghat et Nagpur,
State of Maharashtra, with her packages filled with
the tiger’s skin, bones, claws and teeth. The lot was
taken to a certain Sarju. From March to June, this
same person, Sarju, received 11 tiger skins, some
of which are thought to have been killed in Bhandarbodi,
Akot and Tumsar. The Indian Department
for the Protection of Forests denies information
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On The Trail # 2. Robin des Bois