Punjab Forest Dept to write to Chandigarh airport officials

Pavneet Singh Chadha

Tribune News Service

Mohali, February 6

In a bid to prevent animal skin smuggling and illegal wildlife trade, the Punjab Forest Department has decided to write to Chandigarh airport officials for better coordination among security agencies and spread general awareness about securing exit points.

Kuldeep Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests-cum-Chief Wildlife Warden, Punjab, said: “Though no incident of illegal wildlife trade through air transit routes has been reported at the Chandigarh Airport, we intend to write to the authorities so that CISF personnel stationed at the airport could work in coordination with local divisional forest officers (DFOs) in case of a trafficking incident.”

Speaking at a regional inter-agency coordination meeting, he said it was important for all stakeholders to share intelligence and build capacity to prevent wildlife crimes and control illegal wildlife trade.

The meeting was organised by Punjab Forest Department in coordination with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and attended by officers of the Forest Departments and Police Departments of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chandigarh and representatives of Central paramilitary/border guarding forces, including CISF, SSB, ITBP, BSF, RPF and CBI, customs and state forensic laboratories.

The officials discussed various sensitive routes along the Indo-China and Indo-Pakistan border to prevent poaching, illegal trade and smuggling of tiger bones, leopard skin, elephant tusk (ivory), bear bile, turtles, musk pod, sand boa, rhino horn.

Mahesh Kanyal, Deputy Commandant, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), said: “Due to porous borders and mountainous area, illegal wildlife trade continues along the Nepal-Bhutan border. There is a demand abroad, especially in China, for such products for their use in medicines and for ornamental purposes.”

Kuldeep Kumar said in Punjab, tribal communities (Tehas and Mangals) traditionally were involved in hunting, but it was not prevalent now and only minor smuggling cases of snakes and sambar hunting were reported.

According to recent statistics, 52 per cent increase in poaching and wildlife crimes had been observed between 2014 and 2016 with over 30,382 wildlife crimes and mortality recorded till December 31, 2016.

Besides, the officials suggested tracking movements and activities of nomadic poaching communities, identification of crime sensitive illegal trade routes and linkages of network, focusing on trade of wildlife products through exit point and formation of state-wise wildlife crime cells.