TRAFFIC India on Leopard poaching

TRAFFIC India on Leopard poaching 

• A recent study by TRAFFIC India on the seizure and mortality of ‘common leopards’ (Panthera pardus fusca) revealed that of the total of 747 leopard deaths between 2015­2019 in India, 596 were linked to illegal wildlife trade and activities related to poaching. 
• These records indicated that 140 leopards were killed by poachers and their carcasses were recovered from the forest areas, whereas body parts belonging to the equivalent of 456 leopards were seized during various operations by law enforcement agencies during the study period
• The paper titled ‘‘SPOTTED’ in Illegal Wildlife Trade: A Peek into Ongoing Poaching and Illegal Trade of Leopards in India’ also said that the highest numbers of poaching incidents were reported from the States of Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.
• During the period 2015 to 2019, there were more than 140 cases of seizures of leopard body parts in Uttarakhand, and about 19 incidents where the deaths of these cats could be directly linked to poaching. More than 40 cases of seizure of leopard body parts and 16 cases of poaching were recorded from Maharashtra between 2015 to 2019. 
• Among all the derivatives found in illegal wildlife trade, skin remained the most in­demand product, accounting for 69% of all seizures, while derivatives like claws, teeth, and bones were also traded.
• It is also believed that bones of the leopard are possibly traded as tiger bones as they have a larger international demand for traditional medicines
• Another concern raised in the paper is the incidence of live animal trade involving leopard cubs in seizures in Chennai and in Maharashtra

TRAFFIC

• The TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, is a leading non-governmental organization working on wildlife trade in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
• It is a joint program of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• It was established in 1976 and has developed into a global network, research-driven and action-oriented, committed to delivering innovative and practical conservation solutions.
• Headquarters: Cambridge, United Kingdom
• It aims to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
• Illegal wildlife trade is one of the main reasons that many species are endangered.
• For example, rhino poaching to fuel to demand the illegal rhino horn trade reached an all-time high in 2011, with 448 rhinos poached in South Africa alone.
• This could unravel years of conservation success with African rhinos.

TRAFFIC and India

• TRAFFIC operates as a Programme Division of WWF-India, based in New Delhi since 1991.
• It has since worked closely with the National and the State Governments and various agencies to help study, monitor, and influence action to curb illegal wildlife trade.
• Bridging the gap in effective wildlife law enforcement in India through capacity building programs:
• Under this program, TRAFFIC provides training and inputs to a diverse group of officials working on wildlife enforcement and other related issues.
• Conducting research and providing analysis of wildlife trade and its trends:
• TRAFFIC India’s on-going projects include a study on Leopard and Tiger poaching and trade in India, peacock feather trade, owl trade, dynamics of the hunting community, trade in medicinal plants, bird trade and more.

Source: The Hindu