union environment minister T R Baalu has announced recently that his ministry is finalising a proposal for setting an exclusive agency to investigate wildlife crimes, including cross border poaching.
Speaking on the recent deaths of 13 tigers at Nandankanan Zoo in Orissa he said, "A number of significant inadequacies have been identified on the part of the zoo authorities, including overcrowding of animals, inappropriate housing, poor standards of sanitation and hygiene, lack of expertise in the field of healthcare and inadequate funding by the state government. These factors contributed to the death of the tigers."
He added that his ministry is trying to ensure expeditious flow of funds, creation of a specialized agency for monitoring of intelligence data on poaching, and seeking international co-operation for curbing trans-border trade.
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