Wildlife products worth Rs 37cr seized during smuggling busts at Siliguri Corridor

Seized tiger skin and black buck antlers. PIC COURTESY/KOLKATA CUSTOMS

Smuggled wildlife products, including forest trees, worth Rs 37 crore were seized by different agencies from the Siliguri corridor of West Bengal during the last one year, as per statistics of the state forest department.

In terms of the value of products seized during the one year, the maximum was of smuggled forest trees, which accounted for Rs 13 crore. Besides forest trees, the other smuggled wildlife products seized include, pangolins, pangolin-skins, tiger and leopard cubs, tiger and bear skins, porcupine, rare species of geckos, snake venom, elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns among others. The majority of the seizures have been in areas falling under Belakoba range of the Baikunthapur forest division.

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Admitting that rising instances of wildlife products smuggling have become a cause for concern for his department, state forest minster Jyotipriyo Mullick on Saturday said that the state government has decided to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to counter this menace.

"As an immediate step, 400 forest guards deployed in this corridor will be equipped with motorcycles for better patrolling. At the same time, the range offices will be provided specially-equipped four-wheelers to counter and combat the smugglers," Mullick said. He added that smugglers from Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar as well as from northeastern states are active in importing smuggled products through the Siliguri-Alipurduar corridor.

Rs 13 cr
Value of forest trees seized that were being smuggled

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