5 poachers arrested, leopard skin seized in Odisha

A case has been registered under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, he added. Earlier on September 3, another leopard skin had been seized from the same Katasa village and two persons arrested by forest personnel..

Baripada, Oct 20 (PT) Five poachers were arrested in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Tuesday and a leopard skin was seized from their possession, a senior forest official said. The arrest was made from Katasa village under Rairangpur forest division in a special operation carried out by forest department officials.

Acting on a tip-off, forest department personnel, posing as traders, contacted the poachers to strike a deal for purchase of wildlife items, said Arun Kumar Mishra, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rairangpur. The accused persons were caught in the process and the leopard skin was recovered, he said, adding that the animal was killed around three months ago inside the Similipal National Park.

The leopard skin is 5 feet 6 inches long and 4 feet 6 inches wide, the DFO said. A case has been registered under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, he added.

Earlier on September 3, another leopard skin had been seized from the same Katasa village and two persons arrested by forest personnel..