Bhubaneswar: June 9: The officials of the Nabarangpur forest division seized four leopard skins, one live Pangolin and arrested six persons from Kosagumuda, including four from Chhattisgarh while in transit from Chhattisgarh to Nabarangpur. Four Motorcycles also seized by the forest officer, informed forest official. A special team formed by range officer Dhanurjaya Mahapatra and forester Jagannath Prasad Bissoi were acting on a tipoff about selling of leopard skin and arrested them from four different places in Nabarangpur and Chhattisgarh boarder, said District Forest Officer Swayam Malik. Valued in lakh, according to Wild Life Protection Act the leopard and pangolin are schedule-I animals. The accused has confessed about killing of leopard in Barsur region in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
It is to be noted here that during in the month of February six leopard skins had been seized by forest official and arrested five persons from Indravati hydel project area at Nabarangpur-Kalhandi border. Notably, On the occasion of world Environmental day Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the government will take all possible pro-active initiatives to check illegal trade in wildlife of the state.
