Indian poachers go mutli national

Surojit Mahalanobis / TNN / Aug 5, 2005, 21:21 IST

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NEW DELHI: Despite authorities chasing wildlife poachers, trade in banned wildlife body parts are continuing rampant.

NEW DELHI: Despite authorities chasing wildlife poachers, trade in banned wildlife body parts are continuing rampant.
Indian poachers have gone trans-national now. This was exposed in a case a few days back, when the import division of the central excise and customs caught at Tughlakabad inland container depot (ICD) two consignments wool of 84 bales each, being passed as sheepwool.
The consignments were booked at Karachi (Pakistan) and despatched to New Delhi. Sceptic customsmen sent a sample pack to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) which sent it to wildlife preservation department for testing.
What was routine officialese turned into a prized catch. The sample of wool proved to be shatoosh wool, procured after killing endangered Tibetan antelopes. These antelopes are listed in the Red Book of International Convention of Nature and Natural Flora and Fauna (IUCN). The sample was from an unspecified quantity of shahtoosh mixed in the 186 bales.

Asked how shahtoosh grown in antelopes in Tibet, could be despatched from Karachi, an official in the ministry said, "Normally this happens. Poaching is done at one place and trafficing of the body parts are done through conduits from a contiguous region.
In this case also, chances are the poachings were done at Tibet, exported to India through Karachi and reached India under covers for undisclosed clients. The sample wool was very cold, generally found in dead animals. These are not known to be of the quality fit for making shawls, but can be used for rug manufacturing. The consignment of bales, which the customs had held had also mentioned that the wool was imported for rug manufacturing."

Asked about covers, sources in the MoEF said, "All shahtoosh has one destination, Jammu and Kashmir. This time two consignments each of 84 bales were caught and sent for routine testing, which spilt the beans."
The report seems closely guarded. Central Excise and Customs chief Sahib Singh categorically ruled out having confiscated the bales. Asked the wildlife preservation wing was expecting an acknowledgement from his joint Commissioner AK Madan of their report and refferal to the Wildlife Indstitute of India, which is the sole authority to move against the importers, commissioner Singh said, "It's not with Tughlakabad ICD, it must be elsewhere, perhaps Noida or Faridabad."
Madan could not be contacted as "he was on a day's leave", said his staff.

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