TRAFFIC India initiates unique wildlife forensics training in India in Gujarat

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Not

M-P, Gir lions are going to China

Jumana Shah & Roxy Gagdekar / DNA

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 11:06 IST

 

*Gandhinagar: *Chief minister Narendra Modi may have refused to part with

any of the Gir lions for a sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, but the Asiatic

lions are still at risk of ending up in China — dead.

The success of the state government in nabbing the poachers who, in 2007,

killed eight lions in Gir has lulled many into believing that Gujarat’s

Asiatic lions are now safe. But nothing could be farther from the truth.

 

The fact of the matter is that the existence of lions everywhere is

constantly threatened by poachers. Wildlife experts say that the main reason

why lions are prized by poachers is the high demand for lion bones in the

international market.

 

“The purported medicinal value of lion bones fetches high prices for them in

the international market,” Samir Sinha, head of TRAFFIC India, told DNA on

Monday, at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Gandhinagar. TRAFFIC

India, a division of WWF India, does research and analysis and provides

support to efforts to curb wildlife trade in India. China is believed to be

the main market for lion bones but Sinha categorically said that there are

several other countries among the “consumers”.

 

“Chain investigation of poacher gangs is not taking place,” he said. “We

should try to get to the people who control the whole market. But all that

we have done is crack the network of gangs operating within the country.”

Sinha said that the exact value of the lion’s body parts is not completely

clear yet. “But there is certainly a perception that its bones have

medicinal value,” he said. “There does not seem to be much demand for the

other body parts, except for the knuckles. But we are exploring further. The

important thing is that there is value to lions, be it in India or Africa,

and they continue to be hunted by poachers.”

 

Sinha further said that the nature of wildlife crime is always changing.

“Earlier, it was perceived to be random but we now know that it is

organized. Hence to deal with it, we too need an organised system,” he said.

A five-day course in ‘Wildlife Crime Management’ is being held at theate of Forensic Science (DFS), Gandhinagar. The training programme

for forest officers of the country has been organised by the Tiger

Conservation Society of India, Wildlife Institute of India-Dehradun,

TRAFFIC-India and the DFS. Many forest conservators from Gujarat are also

participating in the programme.

 

*TRAINING ON WILDLIFE CRIME MANAGEMENT CONCLUDES IN **GUJARAT** *

 

* *

 

* *

 

*Gandhinagar, **22 February 2010**:* TRAFFIC India in partnership with the

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Wildlife Institute of India

(WII) and Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) initiated a first of

its kind programme in India that focused on providing complete training to

enforcement officials from various Tiger range states on use of wildlife

forensic in wildlife crime management. The five-day workshop commenced on 22

February 2010 at GFSU, Gandhinagar in Gujarat and ended on 26 February 2010.

 

 

 

The programme aimed to give its participants hands on training in the use of

modern wildlife scientific tools and techniques that help to strengthen

wildlife cases and fight wildlife crime in India. Twenty officers of the

rank of Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF), Deputy Conservator of Forest

(DCF) and Conservator of Forest (CF) are attended this training.

 

 

 

The training programme was inaugurated by Mr S.S. Khandwawala, Director

General of Police, Govt. of Gujarat while Mr. Pradeep Khanna, Principal

Chief Conservator of Forest, Gujarat was the Guest of Honour. Other

dignitaries present at the inaugural session were Mr Samir Sinha,

Head-TRAFFIC India, Dr J.M. Vyas, Director General, GFSU and Dr M.S. Dahiya,- Institute of Forensic Sciences, GFSU.

 

 

 

Mr. Samir Sinha, Head-TRAFFIC India said, “ This training aims to create

among its participants a comprehensive understanding of the present scenario

of wildlife crime and trade in India, its implications on conservation of

species in the wild and on the use of modern forensic tools and techniques

in strengthening wildlife enforcement in India”.

 

 

 

He further stated, “It will also help to engrain in its participants the

need to use wildlife forensic as an important tool for managing wildlife

crime. Wildlife forensics is an emerging science with a number of

institutions and individuals working on it. Such programmes only provide an

opportunity to share knowledge and experience of latest tools and techniques

in this field as practiced internationally and it’s potential for supporting

conservation in India.”

 

 

 

Wildlife crimes including poaching; illegal trade of animal skin, bones,

nails, flesh, organs; illegal cutting and trading (smuggling) of precious

plants and trees and smuggling of butterflies, musk pods, ivory etc have put

our precious flora and fauna in immense danger. Reports have indicated that

the wildlife crime in on the increase while the conviction rate in wildlife

offences remain as low as less than 2 %. To deal with this, there is a need

to make the best use of forensic just as how forensic is effectively used in

crimes related to humans.

 

 

 

The experts who conducted this training include Dr M.S. Dhayia,-Director

Institute of Forensic Sciences, GFSU; Mr Sudhir Mishra, Advocate-Supreme

Court of India; Mr S.G. Gokani, Registrar- Gujarat High Court; Dr S.P.

Goyal-Wildlife Institute of India, Dr Y.K. Aggarwal, Director – R & D, GFSU;

Samir Sinha, Head-TRAFFIC India and several other experts.

 

 

 

The training module deals with identification of ballistics,

nano-technology, evidentiary value of scientific opinion in court of law,

interrogation techniques, documentation of wildlife cases, medico-legal

examination use in wildlife investigation, cyber forensics, wildlife species

identification using wildlife forensic techniques.

 

 

 

*Notes:*

 

 

 

1. India plays an important global role in the trade of wildlife, which

includes all diverse life forms found in the wild. While most of the

wildlife trade may be legal, a significant part is not. The most commonly

known products in illegal wildlife trade in India are: mongoose hair;

snakeskin; Rhino horn; Tiger and Leopard claws, bones, skins, whiskers;

Elephant tusks; deer antlers; turtle shells; musk pods; bear bile; medicinal

plants; timber and caged birds such as parakeets, mynas, munias etc.

 

 

 

2. Illegal wildlife trade has slowly emerged as one of the biggest

threats to our precious flora and fauna in the wild, pushing many species

towards extinction. Despite avowed intentions of the official machinery and

a host of policies; factors such as the changes in the way world

communicates especially with the internet and the easy access to

international travel, the trade has now transformed itself into a form of

organized transnational crime with an overlap with other forms of crime.

 

 

 

3. TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network is a joint programme

of WWF, the Global Conservation Organisation and IUCN, the International

Union for Conservation of Nature, presently working on wildlife trade issues

in over 25 countries and territories, with ongoing research and activities

in several others. In India, TRAFFIC functions as a division of WWF-India

(World Wide Fund for Nature – India), New Delhi. TRAFFIC India works to

ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the

conservation of nature in India. For more information please visit

www.traffic.org or www.trafficindia.org

 

 

 

4. Wildlife Institute of India was established in 1982 and is an

internationally acclaimed institution which offers training program,

academic courses and advisory in wildlife research and management. The

Institute is actively engaged in research across the breadth of the country

on biodiversity related issues. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at

Dehradun is set up with a mandate to train government and non-government

personnel, carry out research, and advise on matters of conservation and

management of wildlife resources.

 

 

 

5. Gujarat Forensic Sciences University was established by the Govt. of

Gujarat as a super specialized University which is unique and first of its

kind in the world for conducting regular/online Degree/Diploma/Certificate

courses in the field of Forensic Science, Behavioral Science, Criminology

and other allied areas. It is situated at Gandhinagar, the capital of

Gujarat. One of the main objectives of the University is to create

technically skilled manpower in the field of forensic science and behavioral

science which is a need of the hour as presently many countries including

India are facing acute shortage of such competent experts. This university

aims to cater to the needs of various investigating and security agencies in

addition to academic institutions.

 

 

 

6. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) -The Govt. of India had

launched “Project Tiger” on 1st April 1973 to promote conservation of the

Tiger. Project Tiger was converted into a statutory authority (NTCA) by

providing enabling provisions in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

through an amendment, viz. Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006. This

forms one of the urgent recommendations of the Tiger Task Force appointed by

the Prime Minister. The NTCA addresses the ecological as well as

administrative concerns for conserving Tigers, by providing a statutory

basis for protection of Tiger reserves, apart from providing strengthened

institutional mechanisms for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas

and endangered species. The Authority also ensures enforcing of guidelines

for Tiger conservation and monitoring compliance of the same, apart from

placement of motivated and trained officers having good track record as

Field Directors of Tiger reserves. It also facilitates capacity building of

officers and staff posted in Tiger reserves, apart from a time bound staff

development plan.

 

Regards

 

Programme Officer

TRAFFIC India

WWF India Secretariat

172-B, Lodi Estate, N.Delhi 110003, India

Tel: +91-11-41504786, Fax: +91-11-43516200

Visit us at " www.traffic.org "

 

TRAFFIC- the wildlife trade monitoring network- is a joint programme of WWF

and IUCN-The World Conservation Union. It works to ensure that trade in wild

plants and animals is not a threat to conservation of nature.