29 December 2005

Kerala Forest Department personnel seized two leopard skins and the tushes of a female elephant on 27 December 2005 and arrested three people.

Acting on a tip-off, forest officials raided a house near Periyar Tiger Reserve, and recovered the skins of an adult leopard and a cub. They also found the tushes of a female elephant, whose age was estimated to be around 30 years.

It is believed that the poachers killed the animals in Periyar Tiger Reserve. In July 2005 alone, three tiger skins and one leopard skin were recovered in and around Periyar.