Govt yet to act on poaching incidents

10-01-2010
Govt yet to act on poaching incidents
Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Govt-yet-to-act-on-poaching-incidents/articleshow/5428876.cms

Even after three years of poaching, the government is yet to react and take stern actions to curb poaching. The suspect poachers may have been nabbed, but the recommendations of the task force which was formed soon after the poaching incidents of 2007, were accepted only recently by the forest department.

The government had even announced a fund of Rs 40 crore to be spent on lion conservation of which only 50 per cent has been disbursed. Officials said that it is fortunate that no major poaching has been reported in Gir region. But sporadic incidents have been reported in the region.

He said that last year three persons from Amreli were arrested after they had electrocuted three lions and had buried them in the field. In another two incidents one trap was laid in Una while another lion was electrocuted in the same area. All these incidents were not termed as poaching.

Officials said the government is now in the process of issuing tenders for the various items which have been recommended by the task force for the conservation of lions.

HOW FAKE LION PAWS ARE MADE

Those involved in the trade, use hooves of dead camels or dog and horn of a buffalo or deer to give it the look of the claw. They use pelt of the deer to give it a natural look. In the past, one such incident was reported in Gir where the officials had found this fake paw. In this incident, the camel paw was used with horn of buffalo.