Poachers kill Gir lions for petty money
Gujarat Global News Network 24 Oct 08;
A Junagadh court has sentenced 20 persons including eight women to three year imprisonment for killing six lions in the Gir sanctuary home of Asiatic lions. The verdict first of its kind under the Wildlife Act is the result of immaculate police investigation well supported by the evidence documented by the Forensic Science Laboratory.
The Court also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 each, failing which they will serve additional three months in prison. One convict, Berbai (70), had died during the 18 month long trial. All convicts belong to Madhya Pradesh and are associated with the Parghi gang, known for poaching.
Giving details of the investigations, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Pradeep Khanna and IGP Keshavkumar said that a match box bearing label of Madhya Pradesh had led to the Parghi gang. Later FSL investigations confirmed the involvement of people who were rounded up by police on suspicion.
FSL Director J M Vyas who was also present at the media interaction said that this was first case of wildlife in which FSL was used. After establishing the scene of crime, FSL confirmed that two nails in the possession of one of the suspects belonged to lions and blood stains on the shirts of two persons and in the nails of one further gave details of who did what. Presence of Methyl Parathion in the abdomen of one lion gave clue of the poision used to kill the lions.
Methyl parathion, organophosphate, was originally developed by the German pesticide company Bayer. It is a non-systemic pesticide that kills pests by acting as a stomach poison.
It did not end with the investigation. In the court room the gang folded another drama. It sought bail on the ground that the members would report whenever summoned. However, Gujarat police established that the addresses submitted to the court through video recorded statements of people of the villages where the gang members claimed to live. As a result none got bail.
Keshavkumar said that these persons used to sell skins and organs of lions international gangs. These gangs used to fetch millions of rupees from the skin of one lion. However, the poachers got around Rs 50,000 per lion. What is interesting is the fact that lion does not have big market. It is tiger that is still in demand. However, tigers are almost extinct in many forests and so international gangs faked lion organs as that of tiger and sold them at a premium.
He had all praise for the cooperation and support extended by the Madhya Pradesh police in rounding up the poachers.
In the incident that hit headlines in the national media six lions were killed in one month in the in the Babaria range falling under the Gir West forest division in Junagadh. Three lions were killed on March 3, 2007 and the rest were slaughtered on March 29. They were arrested on April 18, 2007 and sent to the Junagadh jail on April 25.
