East fights poaching

CHIEF Adlife warqens and their representatives from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Assam, Orissa and West Bengal held the
first coordination meeting in Calcutta
in early June. The aim of the meeting
was to pit resources of the eastern
Indian states against the depletion of
flora and fauna affected by poaching
and trade in wildlife in respective states.

There is rampant smuggling of
fresh-water turtles in Uttar Pradesh to
Bangladesh, trade in ivory and trafficking in rhino horns and tiger products
from Assam. The north Bengal corridor,
which is proximal to Bangladesh, Nepal
and Bhutan, provides an ideal area for
smugglers to operate and is easily accessible from these eastern states.