Bhubaneswar: Rampant smuggling of pangolins seems to be a cause of concern as Odisha figures among the top six states in such cases, a reply from Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) says.
The response from the WCCB, a wing of the Union Environment and Forest department, came to the fore against queries posed by this reporter through Right to Information (RTI). The wildlife crime watchdog claimed that the maximum cases of pangolin crimes were reported from the northeastern state of Assam which saw 21 such crimes between 2015 and 2020.
Other states reporting a substantial number of such cases include Madhya Pradesh (18), Maharashtra (17), Sikkim (17) and Uttarakhand (10). Odisha and Mizoram recorded eight cases of pangolin smuggling each during the period.
Experts, however, claimed that the scale of pangolin smuggling is much higher than the government figures. Some claimed that pangolin smuggling is quite rampant in the state and the wildlife department fails to curb the menace.
“Elephant ivory and pangolins are some of the most sought after smuggled items from Odisha. Live pangolins as well as Keratin scales of the mammals are often seized during raids. The smuggling rackets are flourishing due to the apathy of the wildlife department,” Biswajit Mohanty, a wildlife expert from the state said.
Sasmita Lenka, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), who personally had investigated a number of such cases as the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Athagarh told Orissa POST that there are links of these smugglers with other states and even countries.
“During my investigation, I found links of pangolin smuggling to West Bengal and other states. They (smugglers) are highly organised in executing the trade and use cyberspace to do their business with the least personal meeting unless required,” she said.
Interestingly, neither the state nor the Centre has any clue about the pangolin population. Due to the nocturnal nature of the scaled animal, not much information is available on their overall behaviour. Acting Principal Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Shashi Paul said that the state like other Indian states does not estimate the population of this endangered species.
He, however, said that the state is working towards conducting more research on the animal under the captive breeding programme. “We are also taking all possible steps to check the smuggling. We often conduct raids on tip-offs and nab persons involved in such cases with the involvement of our department and Special Task Force (STF),” he said.
According to experts, the body parts of pangolins find a special place in the traditional medicine systems of China and other South-East Asian countries. The species was categorised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Manish Kumar, OP