2nd August, 2004

Bullet ridden skins of a tiger and a Giant Malabar squirrel were seized by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Tamil Nadu Police on 28 July 2004, in the Nilgiri North Forest Division.

According to preliminary reports received by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the STF carried out the seizure in the Segur Range of the Nilgiri North Forest Division. Two persons belonging to the Theni district of Tamil Nadu were arrested with a gun and an axe, while two others managed to escape carrying another gun. Initial investigations have revealed that the gang entered the forest to kill a tusker, but opportunistically killed the first tiger they saw.

The case has now been handed over to the Forest Department and the accused have been sent to 15 days judicial custody. WPSI is assisting the enforcement authorities to file a case against the poachers.

Recently, there have been disturbing reports about rising incidents of poaching in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, and this incident underscores the fact that some of our most important forests still face a severe poaching threat.