CHANDIGARH: In a chilling reminder of how poachers are plundering wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in Himachal and Uttarakhand, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has busted a major poaching racket, arresting four poachers and seizing leopard skins, jaws, claws, canines, and pangolin scales.
The special operation unfolded in Pinjore, where three poachers—Peerdas, Wazira, and Ram Dayal—were nabbed after CBI intercepted their vehicle.
The fourth accused, Rohtas, was caught at Kalka railway station. The recovery exposes how high-value wildlife parts are being smuggled to cater to the illicit demands of the rich and powerful in India.
CBI sources have not revealed chilling details about poaching hotspots, where and how leopards and other endangered species are being slaughtered with impunity in the forests of Himachal and Uttarakhand.
It also exposed demands for derivatives of animals parts among the rich and ambitious in India.
The modus operandi, sources say, involves organized networks that use traps, poison, and firearms to kill these animals before smuggling their parts to the black market.
Despite stringent laws under the Wildlife Protection Act and the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the illegal wildlife trade continues unabated.
The latest bust only scratches the surface of a deep-rooted nexus between poachers, smugglers, and affluent buyers.
Wildlife activists are now questioning the silence of forest departments in Himachal and Uttarakhand, where leopards and pangolins are disappearing at an alarming rate.
“This is not a one-off case. Poaching syndicates are operating freely in our forests, and authorities are either clueless or complicit,” said a senior conservationist, demanding a nationwide crackdown on the illegal wildlife trade.
The arrested poachers are being interrogated, and more arrests are expected as CBI digs deeper into the network. But the bigger question remains—how many more wild animals will be slaughtered before authorities wake up?
