Phulbani: Phulbani Forest Division arrested two persons after they seized leopard skin from their possession in Kandhamal district on Saturday.
According to sources, the forest department received a tip-off about smuggling leopard skin in Pakhalkhia village under Pasara panchayat eat of Chakapad police station limits.
On the instructions of DFO Prashant Patel, a twelve-member team led by ACF Malaya Rajan Kalo with the support of Sudrakumpa ranger Shishir Kumar Jhankar, raided the Pakhalkhia village and apprehended two accused persons while seizing a leopard skin.
The arrested accused persons are Jashobanta Kanhar, a hunter and Alok Kanhar, a wildlife contraband smuggler.
DFO Prashant Patel said, “They were trying to sell the leopard skin when the forest personnel nabbed them.” He added that the accused persons have been forwarded to the court today after the medical examination.
It is worth noting that the Phulbani forest department also recently confiscated a leopard hide. So the question arises here, where are so many leopard hides coming from?
Are these hunters killing the leopards from the surrounding forest like Ranipathar, Sudrakumpa, Chakapada, Gadiapada? Or are they hunting from other areas and trying to sell the hides here?
It is has become absolutely necessary for the forest department to investigate the incidents and take strict action to prevent animal skin smuggling.
