Tiger, Leopard Skins Seized From Odisha, Six Arrested

In a joint operation conducted by forest officials of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau personnel, skins of a tiger and a leopard have been seized.

An inter-state racket involved in wildlife crime was busted in Odisha's Kalahandi district on Saturday, and six people were arrested in this connection, an official said. In a joint operation conducted by forest officials of Odisha and Chhattisgarh and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau personnel, skins of a tiger and a leopard were seized from M Rampur area and two leopard hides from Junagarh in the district, he said. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) in Odisha Shashi Paul said the tiger skin appears to be suspicious as the size of it and nails are relatively small. "We are examining it. If required, we will send the sample to the Centre for Wildlife Health at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology or to the forensic laboratory of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehradun for confirmation," he said.