Wildlife Conservation India Project #11187

Vanishing Stripes: Save the Bengal Tiger

by Wildlife Trust of India

Vanishing Stripes: Save the Bengal Tiger

Project Report | Aug 14, 2015
Removing threats to Wildlife in India

By Anirudha Majumder | Officer In Charge

Mongoose hair brushes

Background: Wildlife trade is identified as one of the major threats to the survival of many species in India. Several species of wildlife are under constant threat due to illegal commercial exploitation. Wildlife trade control is carried out by various enforcement agencies across the country.

Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) tries to fill in certain gaps, by assisting these agencies through its Wildlife Trade Control Project. The project area, peninsular India is a historic source for animal products and trophies obtained from tigers, leopards elephants which are further traded in the international markets. The traditional tiger hunting communities such as pardhies and bawarias are also active in these areas. Poaching and trade of wildlife for bush-meat is also widespread across the region which affects not only the ecology of species like spotted deer, gaur and sambar but also the long-term survival of predators like tiger and leopard. Local hunters use hand-made guns, snares, etc., to poach wild animals and they sell valuable body parts to established gangs through existing networks of carriers and agents.

A number of interstate poaching gangs have been intercepted by various State Forest Departments with assistance from WTI's team. Since the start of the project in 2009, WTI has assisted State Forest Departments in confiscating tiger skins, leopard skins, ivory and arrest of suspects. Hundreds of wire snares have been removed during anti-snare walks which are conducted in association with frontline forest guards in Tiger Reserves. The project also acts as a platform to impart training to frontline staff in the Project area. WTI has also carried out anti snare work last year and removed number of electrocution and snare from those fringe and buffer areas. WTI team has also assisted in many cases to helping monitor wildlife crime and providing technical assistance. The trade control activities will be done in association with the local community and Forest Department.

Activities conducted during last quarter:-

Between April and July 2015, our Trade Control Team working in the South India carried out anti snare walks in the fringe areas of the Bandipur and removed 87 snares from Gundre Range, N Begur and from Moliyur Range. Apart from anti-snare work in Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) and its surrounding area, WTI team is also providing technical assistance to the BTR officials on deploying, collecting and compiling information from camera traps. During current financial year, our team has provided Intelligence and Operational Assistance to Karnataka Forest Department and created a centralised data base. Our team has also gathered data on more than 128 wildlife cases which have been registered by the police in various police stations.
Our team also aided in the seizure of mongoose hair brushes and mongoose hair in Kochi. Mongooses are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Boxes of hair brushes were seized and suspects arrested.
On June 1, 2015, WTI’s central India trade control team had assisted the Nagpur Local Crime Branch (LCB) unit of Government Railway Police
(GRP) to seize 98 live black spotted terrapins from two people on a train going from New Delhi to Pondicherry. Out of 98 live black spotted terrapins seized, 16 died due to suffocation during transport in the train. During the investigation the team also found out that the animals had been brought from near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. The duo was then arrested. The black spotted Terrapin (Geoclemys Hamiltoni) comes under the scheduled I Part II (14-C) of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

The suspects were residents of Karnataka state, belonging to the Hakki Pikki community. They had both been involved in smuggling for a long time.

Our team is also looking into the highly lucrative and highly illegal pangolin and otter trade. The main aspects of the study will include a survey on the distribution pattern of the species and gathering intelligence on suspected poachers

Boxes of Mongoose Hair Brushes were seized

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