India: Even as dust on tiger deaths in Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary is yet to settle, tiger and leopard skins were seized by forest officials in two separate incidents in the region.
In the first case, a tiger skin was seized by Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) officials near Chikhaldara on Monday night. Six persons have been arrested in the case.

In another incident, a leopard skin was seized near Tandurwani village on Katol-Murti road, 65km from Nagpur under Kondhali forest range. The skin was stuffed in a gunny bag which was thrown on roadside.

In the first case, sources said the officials acted on a tip-off that some persons were planning to sell a tiger skin. Chikhaldara range forest officer (RFO) Laxman Aware sent a decoy and sealed a deal by calling the accused to Chikhaldara during night. Four accused, two of whom were carrying the skin and other two following them on motorbikes, were arrested.

Four accused are said to be locals from Deogaon and Malur near Parathwada while two more accused have been picked up from Manjri village on MP-Maharashtra border. All the accused have been granted seven days’ forest custody remand (FCR).

“We are ascertaining whether the tiger was poached in Melghat or MP. More arrests are likely to be made as the kingpin, who actually killed the tiger, is still at large,” a senior officer told TOI.

Sources said it seems to be the handiwork of local poachers who have been targeting tigers and leopards for their body parts to perform black magic and superstition to dig out hidden treasures.

Forest officials are biggest poachers and threat to majestic animal TIGER sarkaar.

In the recent past, forest officials busted gang of local poachers, who during investigation claimed to have targeted at least 15 tigers and leopards in Melghat core and territorial areas during the last 3-4 years. However, as there is no recovery only two cases of tiger poaching has been registered.

In leopard skin case, officials are baffled from where the big cat was poached. “It seems to be the job of unorganized local poachers who were in process of striking a deal but after smelling rat must have dumped it near the road and fled,” said honorary wildlife warden Kundan Hate.

(Source: The Times of India)