Berhampur: A man was arrested in Berhampur Monday evening for allegedly trying to sell a leopard skin.
Acting on a tip-off the forest department officials with local police apprehended the person, Berhampur DFO Amlan Nayak said.
The man, identified as P. Sushant Reddy, was arrested after the leopard skin was found on his person and he had no explainable cause to have it. Nayak said that a case has been registered against Reddy under relevant provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. He will soon be forwarded to court.
A motorcycle was also seized from the accused.
However, since it was still unknown from where the skin was procured, Nayak said that Reddy would be brought on parole for further questioning.
The Wildlife Protection Act came in to force in 1972 and it prohibits the sale of leopard parts in India. Leopard, the scientific name of which is Panthera Pardus, is a sub-species classified as ‘near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2008. The species may soon qualify for ‘vulnerable’ status due to habitat loss and heavy poaching for illegal trade of skins and body parts in Asia.
