Bihar: Forest teams seize smuggled parts of endangered animals from PACS godown

The Black Buck, Sambar and Porcupine are endangered species listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Hunting them invites a punishment of up to seven years in jail

A forest department team late on Tuesday recovered a large number of deer horns and porcupine quills from a godown of the Karji-Karjaon Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) near Chainpur in Kaimur district of Bihar.

DFO Chanchal Prakasham and forest team with recovered horns. (Sourced photo)

Acting on a tip off about a consignment of remains of animals lying in the godown, kept by wildlife poachers for smuggling, a team under Range Officer Vishundev Rai and Forester Rakesh Kumar raided the place.

During the raid, a Sambar’s antler, three Black Buck horns and 80-90 porcupine quills were recovered from the godown, but PACS manager Kripa Shankar Tiwary had managed to escape with the smugglers by then.

Kaimur district forest officer (DFO) Chanchal Prakasham said Tiwary was involved in hunting wild animals and smuggling their body parts. He was earlier arrested and jailed for killing a Black Buck and cooking its meat, but had come out on bail two months back.

The Black Buck, Sambar and Porcupine are endangered species listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Hunting them invites a punishment of up to seven years in jail.

A case under sections 9, 44, 49B and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act has been registered against Tiwary and unidentified smugglers. Forest department teams are raiding the possible hideouts of the smugglers, and they will be arrested soon, DFO Prakasham said.