Mass murder: speeding goods train killed 7 elephants near Jalpaigudi

A speeding goods train has crushed seven elephants to death in eastern India, after the animals apparently tried to rescue two calves that had become stuck in the tracks.

Conservation officials say the baby elephants got trapped as their herd crossed the line in the northern district of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal state.

Adult animals crowded around the stricken calves, and were hit by the goods train.

"Five elephants died immediately on the track while two others succumbed to their injuries on Thursday morning," Atanu Raha, West Bengal's chief forest conservator said, adding that the train was travelling at 70 kilometres an hour when the speed limit was restricted to a maximum of 40 kph.

He said traffic on the line was suspended while the carcasses were removed, and that the surviving members of the herd were still at the scene the next morning.

Mr Raha said more than 20 elephants have died in the past two years in the area, which is a known corridor for elephants.

"We have lodged a complaint with the local police station against the railway," he said.

Wildlife experts say India is home to an estimated 25,000 wild elephants but their numbers are in decline due to poaching, habitat destruction and train accidents, especially in the east and northeast of the country.

Earlier this month India's environment and forest ministry declared elephants a "national heritage animal" that should be given the same protection as the endangered tiger.
Source:http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201009/3020725.htm?desktop
Photo credit: AFP

45 snares laid for tigers and leopards found in Bandipur

Forest officials at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve have stumbled on as many as 45 metal traps to snare tigers and leopards, all laid by poachers following a combing operation on Thursday. The findings have shocked officials and come despite their massive vigilance drive.


Following the poaching incidents in February, April and July this year when two leopards and a wild boar were killed by poachers inside the Bandipur reserve, the forest department had launched a strict vigilance drive across the reserve. But, despite their intense efforts, poachers have managed to lay traps at strategic locations in the the park.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, field director, Project Tiger, B J Hosmath, who led the combing operation said: “Based on a tip-off, our staff launched a combing operation in the ranges of N Begur and Gundre within the reserve and detected as many as 45 snares. After the poaching incidents, especially the one involving the tragic death of a young tiger on April 30 in Gopalaswamybetta region, we had further intensified our operations.”

Senior forest department officials said they were conducting vehicular patrol daily. However, following the spurt in poaching activities using snares, officials were asked patrol the reserve on foot to curb such practices.

“Most of these snares were made of steel cables, but a few were made of telephone cables and natural tree fibres. We suspect this to be the handiwork of poachers from neighbouring villages at the behest of professional poachers. Though snares are used to catch deer and boar for meat, on several instances tigers and leopards were caught and killed on the spot,” an official said.

The department suspects that the notorious poacher Paapa and his associates Nagarajaswamy, Govinda, Shivaraju and Kumaraswamy could have played a major role in setting these snares. The same gang had poached a tiger in February 2010.

Commenting on the trend, Sanjay Gubbi, wildlife conservationist and member of the state wildlife board said, “Snares have become a serious problem. Unlike major poaching equipments, these are difficult to detect. This incident highlights the importance of patrolling on foot.”

Hit by Staff crunch
The acute shortage of ground level staff in the department has marred plans to safeguard the population of big cats. According to officials in the forest department, Bandipur and the adjacent Nagarhole and Mudumali regions have the largest population of tigers – estimated to be about 300 – in the country.

“We have not given up despite the acute shortage of ground level staff,” an official said. “More staff would help us further augment the combing operation,’’ another senior official said.

Karnataka is the only state in the country which has a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF).
Source:http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/2010092420100924050243616220ba139/45-snares-laid-for-tigers-and-leopards-found-in-Bandipur.html

American Wolf skin meant for occult scientist seized

Kolkata, Sep 19 (PTI) The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau has seized a wolf-skin with trophy in a consignment coming through United States Postal Service which was meant for a self-proclaimed scientist having interests in occult sciences. After getting inputs about some wildlife contraband being sent through official postal service, the WCCB officials had alerted the foreign post office here. During scanning of parcels, the officials found one consignment from New York carrying a complete Wolf skin with the trophy. The skin was labelled as rug and rolled in a way to give the look, official sources said. This is the second seizure after same WCCB team led by Inspector Abhijit Roy Chowdhury seized a Puma skin coming from Illinois in United State through the US Postal Service last month. Both the consignments were meant for the self-proclaimed scientist working for a private firm. None of the consignments carried necessary legal documentation with them. The team then zeroed in on the residence of the accused where they found large number of small cat bones, deer skins and other illegal wildlife material. The officials have sent the material to Zoological Society of India to get confirmation about the exact species of these dead animals. During the questioning, the self-proclaimed scientist in early thirties told the investigators that he was a follower of "Tantra", a mystical science and said he needed this contraband to perform his occult rituals. When grilled further, he told investigators that he was looking for Lion or a Tiger skin but when he could not get them, he opted for highly endangered exotic species Puma which is also known as Mountain lion and is found in the US. Wolf is listed in appendix one of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora making any kind of trading of it or its part illegal. The grey wolves are given highest level of protection in India being the part of schedule one of the Wildlife Protection Act. "These recoveries show that postal service is being used to send wildlife contraband across the country. These people are now using government postal system to avoid suspicion of the enforcement officials. "We have alerted the postal authorities," an official said. The WCCB has also alerted its counterpart in the United States about the recovery and both the agencies are now trying "connect the dots" to get the exact trail of senders.
Source:http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/american-wolf-skin-meant-for-occult-scientist-seized/336573.html

Tiger skin seized from post parcel at airport

CHENNAI: In a first, air customs officers at airport on Friday seized a tiger skin sent from London as parcel.
The tiger skin was 8 feet long from head to tail and 6 feet wide from leg to leg. The body was 2.10 feet in width, said a customs press release.

The parcel was detained by the air intelligence unit of customs under suspicion that it might contain contraband. But it turned out to be a tiger skin when the parcel was opened. The parcel was addressed to a person in Chennai.

Wild Life Crime Control Bureau has confirmed that the skin and skull is genuine and that it belonged to an Indian tiger.

Customs Commissioner R Periasami said the skin was seized after we found that it is a violation of wildlife protection Act. Investigation is on to trace the person who sent it. It might have been sent abroad from India years ago, he said.

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Tiger-skin-seized-from-post-parcel-at-airport/articleshow/6581763.cms

India elected as Secretary of Interpol Wildlife crime group

NEW DELHI: India has been elected for the post of secretary in the Wildlife Crime Working Group of the Interpol for the first time.

The election took place during seventh International Conference on Environmental Crime at the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France held between September 13-17, official sources said.

Additional Director Wildlife Crime Control Bureau Rina Mitra will be representing India in the post.

India will hold the position for a period of four years. The United Kingdom has been elected for the post of Chair.

The Wildlife Crime Working Group comprises all the 188 member countries of Interpol and works under the framework of Environmental Crime Committee which identifies emerging patterns and trends in the field of environmental crime enforcement.

All member countries elect four officials Chairperson, vice-chairperson, secretary and treasurer for a period of four year.

The group meets annually to discuss issues regarding wildlife crime and identify emerging trends in the illegal trade of flora and fauna.

The group focuses the expertise and experience of law enforcement officers of the member countries on wildlife crime like the poaching, trafficking, or possession of legally protected flora and fauna.


Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-elected-as-Secretary-of-Interpol-Wildlife-crime-group/articleshow/6585450.cms