Bhubaneswar(IANS) : A bear poacher and trader of animal parts has been arrested in Orissa in a joint operation conducted by the police and forest officials with assistance from Wildlife S.O.S, a New Delhi-based NGO.
According to Vasudha Mehta, communication officer of Wildlife S.O.S., a sloth bear cub just two to three weeks old was recovered from the poacher.
For the past three weeks, Wildlife S.O.S informers had been patrolling and maintaining a vigil on the trading routes of smugglers in towns and villages on the edge of the forested areas of Rehrakol and Sambalpur districts, the natural habitat of sloth Bears.
As bears give birth between November and February, the poachers strike during this period, either killing the mothers or stealing the cubs when the mothers are away.
Traders sell sloth bear cubs to members of the Kalandar community, a tribe of street entertainers, who train the cubs to become dancing bears. When the cubs are six months old, a crude iron needle is heated and driven through their muzzle and a rough rope is pulled through the sensitive swollen muzzle to keep them in control. The trainers also smash canine teeth of the bears when they turn one year old.
On Monday, the NGO received information that Jumman Khan, a poacher and trader of animal parts in Rehrakol, had a bear cub with him.
Wildlife S.O.S informed the police and forest department officials who arrested Khan and rescued the bear cub Tuesday. Another man, Rafiq, was picked up for questioning.
Rajeev Kumar, conservator of forests (Sambalpur), said: “This case is an excellent example of how networking and coordination between the forest department and NGOs can aid in combating wildlife crime.”
Khan has been booked under various sections of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, under which trading in sloth bears is punishable with imprisonment up to seven years.
“We are interrogating Jumman Khan and hope to unravel more links to the bear poaching racket in this region,” said Shankar Bahra, divisional forest officer (Rehrakol).