Poaching cases: High detection but poor conviction

Lack of specialised staff in investigating and handling such seizures, and poor maintenance of records makes it difficult to bring offenders to the book

Six people trying to sell elephant tusks, weighing about 14.240 kg, allegedly sourced from forests around Denkanikottai in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, were arrested in a joint operation by Bengaluru Rural police and forest officials near the Hosur border on the southeastern outskirts of Bengaluru.

Senior forest officers are hesitant to call this a big breakthrough given the poor conviction rate in cases involving wildlife seizures —less than 3%.

“The number of cases detected are high but it is nearly impossible to secure conviction,” concedes Dr Shekhar Kumar Niraj, PCCF and chief wildlife warden, Tamil Nadu, who unearthed the latest tusk seizure. “Lack of trained and specialised staff in investigating and handling such seizures, and the shortage of resources and poor maintenance of records of habitual offenders affect the rate of conviction,” he adds.

Senior forest officials confirm that there is a definite market for wildlife articles locally, nationally and overseas. Be it for religious and medicinal purposes or even as a showpiece, these are widely in demand.

“But the challenge lies in tracing the multiple routes of poaching. The man locally sourcing the product will not know who it is eventually handed to. The chain is cut at every point because the smugglers prefer to keep their group very small and tight,” explains another forest officer.

Tough to crack the network

Dr Niraj says that it is not impossible but definitely difficult to break into their multiple channels.

“You will need better resources to be able to track down the culprits, record their statement, hire good lawyers and see that the culprits are penalised. When there are inconsistencies in the handling of the case and we don’t have enough adequate documentation, then the magistrate will not be able to grant the highest form of punishment,” he explains. Linkage between growing demand due to rapid economic growth and supply chain is the main driver of tusk trade and poaching, adds Dr Niraj.

Another official says that often some forest officials connive with criminals. “It is not possible to kill such a big animal and take out the tusk without the knowledge of local forest officials. There have been instances when senior officers ask their subordinates to not proceed with the case. They suppress them, and divert and discourage them from investigating the case,” explains the officer.

Culprits escape to neighbouring states

District forest officer Karthikeyani K, who was a part of the recent operation, says it becomes tough to nab the culprits as they escape into the neighbouring states. “Language problems and coordination delays between states give these offenders enough time to escape,” she says. The villagers, living around the forested areas, work at the behest of a larger syndicate. “They are familiar with the animal terrain and know how far the forest is spread. They sometimes venture into the area of elephants and poach them. They hunt them down with country-made guns and gunpowder,” she explains.

But things are slowly beginning to change, explains Karthikeyani. “We have taken steps to get hold of manufactures of these country-made guns, gunpowder and suppliers. There are some who have also surrendered the guns. We are also creating awareness about the dangers of indulging in such activities,” she adds.

Poor record maintenance

A senior police officer with the Bengaluru City police, who has earlier investigated and assisted forest officials in the wildlife poaching cases, says the poor maintenance of records of habitual offenders by the forest department is an issue. “There is no data available to compare and analyse. It is tough to trace even the habitual smugglers. The city police has a classification of records and Modus Operandi Bureau (MOB) where the accused is fingerprinted, photographed and the basic information is collected for reference. But the forest department does not maintain such records,” he asserts.

Vigilance keeps track

The Forest Vigilance Wing that covers the entire state keeps a close watch on habitual offenders. “We act on specific information that somebody is interested in selling a tusk. We always try to sneak our people into these networks. It is a risky operation and sometimes we come back with nothing. The seller always discourages people from coming and talking to him or making conversation with him. If they have the slightest inkling that police are trying to get into their network, then our staff could be beaten and harmed,” explains
Seema.

She says that it is a challenge to trace the exact location, “We aren’t able to trace the exact location because that’s always a grey area. The poached item always changes multiple hands and locations before it reaches its destination. It is a time-consuming task,” she adds.

How tusks are smuggled?

Sharath Babu R, wildlife conservationist, says that the latest tusk smuggling that was busted was a joint operation for the first time in 25 years, by the Tamil Nadu forest officers and the Bengaluru police. “Most of the poaching happens around Denkanikottai, Anchetty and Thaly region. Ivory trade has a very big industry. The poachers either hide and bring it or sometimes cut the tusks into smaller pieces and smuggle it into Bengaluru,” says Sharath.

How do the poachers enter the forest? “The tribals are usually allowed to enter the forest to procure non-timber produce such as tamarind, honey and amla. They start poaching either when the forest officials are out or work hand in glove with the lower-level forest staff. There are also poachers who go only to hunt down the elephants,” says Sharath.