Elephant tusks, leopard skin seizedThe Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha police have busted a gang involved in illegal wildlife trade, and seized two elephant tusks and a leopard skin from it. The three accused — identified as Seikh Hasmati Ali and Chandrakant Dhal of Mayurbhanj district, and Malaya Kumar Rout of Keonjhar district — were apprehended. “During the search, two elephant tusks, one leopard skin and other incriminating articles were seized from their possession. The accused persons could not give any valid justification for possessing the elephant tusks and the leopard skin,” Mr. Pankaj said. The seized elephant tusks and the leopard skin will be sent to Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun for chemical examination.

Source: The Hindu February 08, 2021 22:17 UTC