SECURITY NET IN SIMILIPAL CAN’T BE ALLOWED TO SLIP

THE recent seizure of a melanistic tiger’s skin does not augur well for Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve for two reasons.

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One, Similipal is the only place in the world where big cats with such a genetic mutation are found, and two, it is a low-density tiger habitat. This was the second such seizure in 15 months, which means poaching is thriving in the national park despite heightened surveillance. In the latest case, a forest department team seized the hide from a group trying to sell it. Preliminary investigation shows the tiger was killed about a month back. Nine persons have been arrested and efforts are on to establish the poachers’ modus operandi. Of the nine tiger deaths reported in Odisha over the last four years, most were from the larger Similip