4th July, 2003

A tiger skin, one leopard skin and a pair of tusks were seized by the Forest Department, with the assistance of WPSI, in the Kannur Forest Division in Kerala on Monday, 23 June.

The operation was carried out by the Divisional Forest Officer, Mr K.K. Chandran, with the help of Range Officers Mr. K. Rajan and Mr. P.P. Venugopal. Three people were arrested two are residents of Kannur and the third is a resident of Kozhikode. The accused, who were trying to sell the skins and tusks, said that they had collected the goods from Sulthan Bathery in the District of Wynad.

The town of Sulthan Bathery, which lies near the state border with Karnataka, is a known centre for wildlife crime and a number of cases of elephant poaching and ivory trade have occurred in this area. Two elephants, a leopard and a bear have been found dead in the Wynad District within the last four weeks.