Delhi hub for trade in leopard body parts: WWF report

The national capital has the ignominy of becoming a hub of illegal trade in leopard body parts, a report commissioned by the World Wide Fund (WWF) said today.

According to the report, at least four leopards have been poached and their body parts sold illegally every week in the last decade in the country and Delhi is where this bargain is transacted most.

The report has been prepared by TRAFFIC (a wildlife trade monitoring network) to ascertain the number of leopards and the threat of extinction faced by them in various parts of the country.

“At least four leopards have been poached and their body parts entered into illegal wildlife trade every year for at least 10 years in India,” Dr Rashid Raza, Coordinator, TRAFFIC and lead author of the report, said.

It also gives a list of places from where illegal trade of leopard body parts is taking place and their seizures have been made.

“Delhi is clearly the most important hub of leopard trade with 26.4 per cent of all leopard accounted for in seizures.

It is followed by Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Together with neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, this northern region forms the epicentre of trade in leopard parts,” the report said.

Ironically, no significant leopard population is found inside and in the immediate surrounding of the national capital.

“Unfortunately, there is no available data on the number of leopards in the country. Unlike task forces concerning tigers and elephants, Environment and Forest Ministry has no such body to take care of dwindling leopard population,” Raza said.

WWF will present a copy of the report to the Forest and Environment Ministry. “We have been in regular touch with the Ministry during preparation of this report and copy will soon be provided to them.”

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