Lenka and her team had detained around 28 persons and seized three live Indian pangolins and one dead besides seizing 5kg of pangolin scales between August 2019 and April 2020
Bhubaneswar, Jan 31: Athagarh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sasmita Lenka will receive the prestigious Asia Environmental Enforcement Award under ‘impact’ and ‘gender leadership’ category at a virtual event February 17, official sources said Sunday.
Being given by the United Nations Environment Programme in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the International Criminal Police Organization and the World Customs Organization, the Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards publicly recognize and celebrate excellence in enforcement by government officials and institutions or teams combating transboundary environmental crime, including illegal wildlife trade.
Interacting with Orissa POST Lenka said, “I’m honoured for this recognition. The hard work has definitely paid off as people are more aware about protecting wildlife. Time will come when there will be near zero poaching of such wildlife in the state.”
Lenka has been serving as the Athagarh DFO since October 2018. “Lenka and her team had detained around 28 persons and seized three live Indian pangolins and one dead besides seizing 5kg of pangolin scales between August 2019 and April 2020. In December 2019, she and her team busted an international pangolin smuggling racket by arresting eight suspects and recovering numerous pangolin scales. In a general effort to curb smuggling of pangolins in her division, Lenka has announced a cash reward of Rs 10, 000/- for information on pangolin traffickers,” said a source.
