• About BCR
  • News
  • News @ BCR
  • Rescues
  • Issues
  • Cat Laws
Saturday, January 23, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home News World

Prosecuting Poachers Impossible – Wardens

BCR by BCR
August 26, 2014
in News World
1
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

You might also like

Cub Petting Shame

Rules

GoFree

Prosecuting Poachers Impossible – Wardens
 
Malini Shankar
 
SARISKA, Rajasthan, Feb 2 (IPS) – Inquiries into the decimation of 22 tigers by poachers in this famed tiger reserve, during 2002-2005, have revealed a serious problem — the near impossibility of booking poachers in India.
 
“First of all catching the poacher on the spot is difficult. Based on investigations done by the staff, and intelligence agencies, we caught several poachers and investigations have led to other poaching instances,” P.S. Somashekhar, field director of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, told IPS.
 
“But, it is another challenge to convince the courts that the recorded statements by the arrested poachers during investigations are also evidence,” Somashekhar explained. ”Section 30 of the Indian Evidence Act provides for confessions to be read out against co-accused in a joint trial; to interpret this in wildlife cases calls for proving the connivance of a gang of poachers who are caught and interrogated for the same offence with the material evidence.”
 
Officials also have to contend with the influence of powerful figures. In 2004, a former field director of the Sariska Tiger Reserve, Deepak Bhatnagar officially sought a recount of tigers in the tiger reserve. His letter was never acknowledged and he was later transferred to a remote irrigation project in a desert town of Rajasthan.
 
Only 13 of the 22 tigers killed in Sariska were documented as part of the 77 cases of wildlife crimes that were booked for the period 2002-2007. “We have 24 cases related to panther poaching. Of that, 20 cases have been lodged in the court and cases are underway. Before registration we need to recover material evidence, and case has to be prepared, only after that can we register the case in court,” says Somashekhar.
 
“Out of the 13 tiger cases registered, five tiger and two leopard killings have been handed over to Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). The poacher Kaliya Bawaria was convicted in June 2007,” the field director added.
 
According to the Project Tiger website, 358 of 533 poaching cases were booked in the period 1994-1999. In the period 2002 – 2005 Sariska officials booked 77 wildlife crime cases but it is anyone’s guess as to exactly how many wild animals were actually slaughtered by poachers.
 
Forest officials claim there were 24 tigers in the Sariska Tiger Reserve in 1997. There were also an estimated 49 leopards, 97 jungle cats, 81 hyenas, 340 jackals, 5,600 sambhars, 2,900 spotted deer, 4,780 nilgais, 24 chowsingha, 2,900 wild boars, 12 civet cats and 18 palm civets, according to a report on the Project Tiger website for that year. But today these figures are being questioned.
 
In Sariska, officials ignored reports of injuries caused to tigers by poachers. These included a case where the upper jaw of one feline was ripped off by a crude bomb, although the incident did raise serious questions regarding the commitment of officials charged with wildlife protection.
 
It was also discovered that poachers had taken advantage of the man-animal conflict that resulted in villagers living inside Sariska antagonising forest officials.
 
“For foolproof implementation of the wildlife protection act, a few remedial measures are necessary: One is proper surveillance network; secondly people residing in the core and periphery must cooperate with field staff. Collection of evidence is tedious because material decomposes rapidly,” a Sariska official said.
 
In 1995 a case of poaching against the well-known film actor, Sanjay Dutt, fell through because no material could be recovered from the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary on India’s west coast. As often happens in such cases forest officials come under intense political pressure and are compelled to oblige powerful people.
 
If the high profile poaching cases involving another celebrity, the film actor Salman Khan, resulted in prosecution and conviction, they were largely due to the initiative of local villagers belonging to Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community. Black buck, shot by Khan in one of the cases, is considered sacred by the Bishnois. Khan ended up with sentences totalling six years in jail — against which he has appealed.
 
It is far easier to catch traders in animal parts than poachers. In December, police in northern Uttar Pradesh state seized three tiger skins and three skeletons and apprehended Shabeer Hasan Qureshi, regarded as the kingpin behind a major trafficking network.
 
“That was a major breakthrough in the fight against wildlife crime in India,” Belinda Wright, executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), which helped with Qureshi’s arrest, told IPS. Wright said, however, that the emphasis should still be on preventing poaching.
 
In Sariska, apart from the 22 tigers that were slaughtered by poachers, there are 52 other cases of wildlife crime that are pending trial. These pertain to the poaching of peacocks, mongoose, jackals, bears, birds, frogs, snakes, hyenas, leopards, civet cats and owls.
 
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41045
 
http://bigcatrescue.org
 
For The Tiger
Dee

http://savethetigers62.blogspot.com/

http://bigcatrescue.org/
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/am/template.cfm?section=Home1
http://www.worldwildlife.org/tigers/


Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.


Tags: News World
Previous Post

Indonesian soldier kills Sumatran tiger

Next Post

Student’s mouth-to-muzzle saves tiger cub

BCR

BCR

Big Cat Rescue is Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade

Related Posts

Cub Petting Shame
Cat Laws

Cub Petting Shame

January 17, 2021
352
Be Safe Out There!
How To Start A Sanctuary

Rules

March 31, 2020
25
Big Cat Rescue does bobcat rehab and release of native, Florida bobcats.
Articles by BCR

GoFree

March 29, 2020
91
Nik Tiger being Xrayed
How To Start A Sanctuary

What is a day like at Big Cat Rescue?

June 30, 2020
16
Cougars at Big Cat Rescue
Memorials

Artemis

January 28, 2020
48
Next Post

Student's mouth-to-muzzle saves tiger cub

Leave a Reply

  • Default Comments (1)
  • Facebook Comments

One response to “Prosecuting Poachers Impossible – Wardens”

  1. Vidyanand Thombare says:
    August 12, 2013 at 5:07 pm

    Pochers not only kills the animal, but their activities affects ecosystem, and damage natural food chain severely. Which in results might leads to formation of desert due to imbalance of ecosystem. In true seance this crime affects a lot, hence there has to be capital punishment to poachers.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below.  This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Take Action Against Abuse

Shop To Save Big Cats

More From BigCatRescue

  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Big Cat Information

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Ways to Help

  • Newsletter SignUp
  • Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • View AMP Versioin
No Result
View All Result
  • 2018 Appeal
  • About BCR
  • About our Cookies
  • BCR in the Media
  • Big Cat Rescue Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade
  • Big Cat Times
  • Blog
  • Board of Directors
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Credentials
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Embed Link
  • GET THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT CUB PETTING
  • Global Big Cat News
  • Intern Program
  • Kids
  • Latest from Big Cat Rescue
  • Licensing
  • Map
  • Map of Big Cat Owners
  • Netflix
  • News about Big Cats
  • News Gallery
  • News@BCR
  • Our Video Series
  • PressRoom
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rescues
  • Search result
  • Series Archive – Default header
  • Shop
  • SnowLeopard
  • Social Stream
  • Staff
  • Teachers
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • Test Gravity
  • USFWS
  • Vets
  • Videos archive
  • Get Involved
    • Automatic
    • Sponsorships
    • Volunteer
      • AdvoCats
      • Click to Feed
      • Intern
    • Legacy
    • Roar! Speak Out for Big Cats
    • Ink
  • Finances
  • How We Started
  • Abuse Issues
    • Issues
      • Exhibitions
      • Private Ownership of Big Cats
      • Zoos
      • White Tigers
      • Circus
      • Fur
      • Trophy Hunting
      • Canned Hunting
      • Why Regulations Don’t Work
  • Our Evolution
  • Photos & Facts
  • Videos
  • Our Volunteers
  • Your Privacy
  • Donate
  • Site Map
  • Field Trips

© Copyright 2021 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Add New Playlist