Forest deptartment arrests man for smuggling leopard claws

India: The forest department, along with the wildlife crime control bureau (WCCB), arrested one person for illegally smuggling and selling a bag of leopard claws and teeth at Delhi’s Kashmere inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) on Friday.

Aditya Madanpotra, deputy conservator of forests (north division), said acting on a tip-off, the team--projecting themselves as prospective buyers--met the man at Kashmere Gate ISBT around am on Friday and caught him with a bag of leopard claws and teeth.

“The seller has been arrested and the parts have been seized. We were hoping that the man would turn up with more items because we had received information that he was in possession of more such animal parts and that such items were being transported to other states from Delhi,” said Madanpotra.

He said the department is not going to release the price of the animal parts in the illegal market, as the Wildlife (Protection) Act prohibits making such information public to ensure this trade is not encouraged in any way.