20 May,2009 09:05 AM IST | | Chetan R
Weeks of undercover effort are dashed when tiger pelt dealer turns out to be just a counterfeiter selling dyed cowhide
Karnataka's forest sleuths got a rude shock when they raided a 'poacher' after weeks of planning: he was just selling fake tiger pelts.
The CID cell travelled to Vellore in Tamil Nadu and were thrilled when they got their game, but it turned out he was just dyeing cowhide and selling it as tigerAlts.
A team comprising CID forest cell sleuths and Tamil Nadu forest officials laid a trap for a man believed to be a poacher.u00a0
The trap was an outcome of a detailed strategy. In the process, they went posing as buyers, and shelled out money to middlemen.
They seized 30 tiger pelts but all of them turned out to be cowhide.
"We were stunned," said the member. "They looked so real."
Rampant
Vellore is not the only place where fake pelts are sold.u00a0
In Karnataka, the business thrives in Chamrajnagar, Mysore, Udupi, and Mangalore and in villages on the Tamil Nadu border.
Traders living in dense forest areas make fake tiger products: they use cow hide for tiger pelts, dog hide for panther pelts and cattle horns to make fake tiger nails and teeth. The nails and teeth are in demand as lucky keepsakes.
Villages such as Pakshirajapura and Bidadi are believed to have cottage units that design and dye these fake products.u00a0
"Some tribal groups are into this business," said Vinod Kumar, a wildlife expert. "They are so good at their job buyers can't make out they are fake."
About 60 fake pelts are sold every month in Karnataka, say wildlife experts.u00a0u00a0u00a0
Punish them or let them be?
>>Forest officials are wondering whether they should fileu00a0 cases against fake pelt traders at all. All said and done, they aren't harming wildlife, are they?
>>"Fake skin traders are let free off in most cases," said Sharath B, former member of PFA (People for Animals). "If fake product making is checked, then they eye genuine wildlife for their livelihood."
>>But some officials feel the counterfeiters should be booked as their intention is unlawful.
>>"Any trader dealing with trade pertaining to wildlife products, fake or genuine, may be booked under the Wildlife Protection Act," said I B Srivastava, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife).u00a0u00a0
Cost factor
The fake pelt economy
Buy: Cowhide for Rs 1,000
Sell as: Tiger pelt for Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Buy: Dog hide for free
Sell as: Panther felt for Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
Buy: Bull horn for Rs 200-300u00a0
Sell as: Tiger nail, teeth starting Rs 20,000
