Khurda: Suspecting involvement of international rackets in the alleged trafficking of five bear cubs which were rescued by forest officials from Pitapalli-Gangapada road April 22, the Odisha Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Saturday ordered for a probe.
According to an official source, the Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) has been asked to submit a detailed investigation report in this regard. Two more bear cubs were rescued the same day from Gadakhurda area later in the evening taking the total number of rescued cubs to seven, the source added.
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Allegedly, some miscreants might have tried to take advantage of the shutdowns and transport the live wild animals to outside the state in exchange of monetary benefit. However, they later discarded the bear cubs fearing the intervention of local police.
Out of the seven bear cubs, two appeared little older. The mother bear was not seen around when the five cubs were seen playing on the road at the time of rescue, a Khurda forest official stated.
“The rescued bear cubs might not have strayed out of Chandaka forest. Probably, traders of wild animals had been shifting the cubs to elsewhere. As it seems, the cubs do not belong to a single mother,” Chandaka divisional forest officer (DFO) Kedarnath Swain said.
“The place from where the bear cubs were rescued is a well-known passage of elephants. Usually, bears do not prefer to tread in nearby areas where the pachyderms wander. These species of bear are also not seen in this region. The PCCF has ordered for an inquiry in the matter,” Khurda range officer Asit Mishra said.
It may be mentioned here that bears are in great demand in international markets as their bile fetches good prices – mostly in China.
PNN
