Tiger poachers convicted in Tamil Nadu

A Tamil Nadu court has convicted and sentenced six members of a tiger poaching gang to three years’ jail and levied penalty under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

The Wildlife SOS said its anti-poaching unit investigators had intercepted an intelligence about the movement of Bawaria tiger poaching gang from Haryana to Sathyamangalam in Tamil Nadu, and tracked their movements meticulously by infiltrating the poaching gang and monitoring their nomadic camp sites.

The non-profit conservation organisation passed on the intercepted intelligence information to the Tamil Nadu Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (TNWCCB) and conducted a joint operation to catch the poachers red handed in February 2023.

“This important verdict comes more than two years after a well-planned covert joint anti-poaching operation by the TNWCCB, forest department, state police and Wildlife SOS. The poachers were intercepted in Sathyamangalam with a 10-foot-long tiger skin, one tiger skeleton and one leopard skeleton,” a statement from Wildlife SOS said.

On sustained interrogation, the accused revealed locations of concealed hunting devices, leopard skin, snares, knives, spears and tools used to kill and skin the big cats. Active jaw traps and hunting tools were also recovered from the forests of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve.

“What makes this conviction historic is the scale of the bust, but the persistence and dedicated planning that it took to achieve success. We are grateful to the Tamil Nadu Government and to Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu, for taking active interest in tiger protection and TNWCCB team that worked closely with Wildlife SOS along with multiple enforcement agencies during the operation and through a long-drawn two-year prosecution process to oppose bail applications. Such convictions are exceedingly rare in India’s wildlife crime cases, where conviction rates remain dismally low despite high levels of poaching,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO of Wildlife SOS.

Deputy Conservator of Forest and Director, TNWCCB, Dr R Kanchana stated, “This was the first case handled by the TNWCCB and was possible with the reliable intelligence provided by Wildlife SOS NGO. Tiger poaching is driven by international demand for their body parts used in traditional medicine and luxury markets. This conviction demonstrates the power of collaboration between government agencies and NGOs active in the field to protect India’s wildlife. This is a historic day for all of India.”

The six poachers, caught red-handed in February 2023 in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Range of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, will now serve their sentences in Coimbatore Central Jail.