Nepalese poacher nabbed in Dudhwa National Park, antlers recovered

A Nepalese poacher was nabbed in the Dudhwa forest range under the Dudhwa National Park here and antlers were recovered from his possession, an official said Wednesday.

Deputy Director Mahavir Kaujlagi had received reports about some cross-border smugglers attempting to poach in the Dudhwa range, field director Ramesh Pandey told PTI.

Following this input, Kaujlagi along with Dudhwa range officer Vipin Kumar Srivastava, foresters Ram Kumar and O P Singh lay siege in the area, activating the field intelligence and Tuesday nabbed a poacher, Navraj, he said.

"Antlers (horns of spotted deer) were recovered from the possession of the poacher belonging to Motipur village in Vardiya district of Nepal," Pandey said.

A case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has been registered, the field director said, adding, the nabbed poacher is reported to be involved in illicit trading of leopard skins and further investigations are on.

This is the sixth arrest of poachers in a week in Dudhwa.

A couple of days back, two poachers were nabbed from Bhira range of Dudhwa buffer zone with 'khabars' (equipment to trap wild animals) followed by the arrest of two in Dudhwa, he said, adding another arrest was made in the Katarniya ghat area.

The smart patrolling equipped with NCTA-developed M-Stripes app in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve comprising DNP, Kishanpur and Katarniaghat sanctuaries and Dudhwa buffer zone has started yielding results.

The GPS connected intensive patrolling in every nook and corner of vast tiger reserve has enabled the forest officials to keep watch on any suspicious activities of wildlife criminals, he added.