6 held with civet cat carcasses in Bongaon

India: Six people were arrested with carcasses of five civet cats — protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act — at Chandapara station near Bongaon on Saturday evening.

Local DFO Niranjita Mitra confirmed the development and said that the six accused, who are being questioned now, would be produced in the court on Sunday. A forest official said that whether the six accused were locals or outsiders would only become clear after the interrogation.

Members of Zero Hunting Alliance, a group that keeps an eye on hunting activities by tribals and others in the districts, gave the tip-off to both the RPF and forest department, who later picked up the accused. A member of the group said that 30 animals were also hunted in Howrah’s Amta on Friday.

The Calcutta High Court this May had ordered the authorities concerned in Howrah and East Midnapore to make sure that no hunting festival took place in these districts between May 12 and May 16 on the occasion of Falharini Kali Puja. The verdict was given in the wake of the recent killing of a Royal Bengal Tiger by alleged tribal hunters in Lalgarh.

Sources said these hunters are from both tribal and non-tribal communities and come mostly from West Midnapore, Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia. They also reportedly use the places in and around the railway platforms for killing, cooking and skinning wildlife. This hunting is also helping fuel he illegal wildlife trade.

(Source: The Times of India)