WPSI: Rash of Leopard Deaths Across India

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Rash of Leopard Deaths Across India

15 January 2007

 

Police in the Indo-Bhutan border town of Jaigaon, West Bengal,

arrested three people on 10 January 2007 and recovered the skins of

three leopards and two fishing cats. Two of the accused are

residents of Assam, and the third is a resident of Nepal.

Interrogations have revealed that they bought the skins from traders

from Bhutan. The accused were produced in Alipurduar court on 11

January, where their bail was rejected. A WPSI representative in

north Bengal is following the case closely.

 

There were two significant seizures in the northern border areas of

West Bengal last year. On 14 July, notorious trader Ratiram Sharma

was arrested with 4 leopard skins, 11kg tiger bones and skulls and

16 kg rhino skins. A few days later, on 25 July, his son Ashok

Sharma was arrested with 1 tiger skin and 3 leopard skins.

 

Across India, between 20 December 2006 and the first week of January

2007, WPSI has recorded at least 10 known leopard mortalities. These

include 1 leopard killed in Maharashtra; 4 leopards killed in

Panchmahals, Gujarat; 2 leopards (including a pregnant female with

two foetuses) killed in Kerala; 1 leopard found dead in Reasi, Jammu

& Kashmir, with three paws and one tooth missing; 1 leopard skin

seized in Karnataka; and 1 leopard found dead in Uttaranchal with

its paws missing.

 

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WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF INDIA (WPSI)

S-25 Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110017, India

Tel: (Int+ 91.11) 4163.5920 & 4163.5921

Fax: (Int+ 91.11) 4163.5924

E-mail: wpsi

Website: www.wpsi-india.org

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