Four  suspected elephant poachers arrested with a tusk

By Akshya Rout

Jajpur,June 9 :  Forest officials have arrested four  suspected  poachers including a woman  and seized an elephant tusk in Jajpur district  on Thursday.

“On the basis of specific information,  we searched a four wheeler at  Panikoili within Jajpur Road forest range   and four    suspected wildlife smugglers  were arrested   with a tusk .  It is suspected that   the tusk was  of  an elephant    killed in the  state’s   forest . A case has been registered against  the four accused – Mamata Moharan (48) of Khaira in Balasore district , Rajesh Sethi(33)Bhabotosh Jena (26) and  somanath Nayak (28) of Nilagiri  under the sections- 51 of  Wild Life Protection Act, said  Jyoti Ranjan Mohapatra the forest range officer of Jajpur Road.

They were going to Bhubaneswar from Balasore to sell  the elephant tusk to someone.  Investigation is on to ascertain whether they were poachers or  wildlife smugglers. . We suspect that there is a chain of smugglers involved in this type of trade and will try to reach out to them through the duo, added the forest officer.

  Elephants  have been targeted by poachers for their expensive tusks . The rise in poaching cases is also indicative of more demand  for tusks from the international illegal trade market . Lack of proper patrolling in the forest by the forest officials is the main reason behind the rise of elephant poaching cases, said Taraprasada Mishra a social worker of the district.