"Tiger poaching has been detected. At least more than one," Rishikesh Ranjan, chief conservator of forests (CCF), Pench Tiger Reserve, told DNA.
In what may reveal a larger wildlife crime racket with international links, the state forest department has nabbed two people for allegedly poaching two tigers. The arrests have been made in the proximity of the Pench tiger reserve near Nagpur, which is estimated to have around 44 tigers.
Devidas Kumre and Babulal Kumre were arrested from the Usripar village in Ramtek taluka located near Pench's Deolapar range late on Monday and tiger body parts including 12kg bones and nails were recovered. Since most tiger parts, including bones, have a huge demand in China for medicine, the department will investigate if these alleged poachers have links with these international syndicates.
In six months, Maharashtra has lost nine tigers with the nationwide toll standing at 58. These mortality figures for the state include two poachings via electrocution, including a tigress at Khapa near Nagpur on January 13 and Srinivas (T10), the son of Maharashtra's iconic tiger Jai on April 27.
"Tiger poaching has been detected. At least more than one," Rishikesh Ranjan, chief conservator of forests (CCF), Pench Tiger Reserve, told DNA. He added that they suspected that more people were involved in the hunting.
Ranjan said the arrested accused were fishermen who had illegally fished in the Pench Totladoh reservoir located inside the tiger project's core.
N Rambabu, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF), said they had gathered intelligence about these poachers while investigating pangolin poaching rackets operating in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Pandurang Pakhale, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Pench tiger reserve, said they had seized 12 kg bones, 13 nails and other tiger body parts from the two accused. He added that they had been remanded to forest custody till July 1.
"The accused are changing their statements on where they killed the tigers and how this was done. It is for sure that more than one tiger has been killed as some bones seem fresh, while the other parts are dry," said Pakhale.
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