Three suspected poachers with tiger skins, bones arrested in Assam

Three suspected poachers were arrested in Assam’s Barpeta along with tiger skin and bones worth ₹20 lakhs seized from them, forest officials said on Sunday.

According to the officials, the suspected poachers must have killed a tiger in Manas Tiger Reserve a few days ago.

Giving details of the incident, Manas Tiger Reserve officials told the media on Sunday that they received information about the alleged killing of a tiger in the reserve on Saturday and swung into action.

“A tiger skin and 7.150 kilograms of bones were seized during a raid conducted on Saturday night”, said officials.

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The suspected poachers have been identified as Balendra Gayari, Munindra Basumatary and Dimbe Gayari, all local residents, allegedly involved in the illegal trade of animal skins, officials said.

Assam has three tiger reserves, Kaziranga, Manas, and Orang. According to government data, the tiger population in the state increased to 200 in 2021 from 159 in 2018. There are 121 tigers in Kaziranga, 48 in Manas, 28 in Orang and three in Nameri tiger reserves at present, according to the state government data.

The incidents of poaching have decreased in Assam in recent years due to several measures taken by the state government. The last incident of tiger killing was reported in December 2022 when a male tiger was poached in the Morigaon district.

In June 2021, a Royal Bengal Tiger died in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve due to an accidental firing by forest personnel.

According to experts, the trade of skins and bones of the wild animal is the prime reason.

“The skins and bones are sold at high prices in international markets and that leads killing of tigers. However, it has reduced in recent years due to the strict measures taken by the Assam government,” said an expert.