Tiger poaching driven by int'l demand for body parts used in traditional medicine

The animals were killed using spears, knives and crude hunting tools.

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The gang then skinned the carcasses, removed bones, claws, teeth and tails, and salted the tiger's skin for preservation. Leopard parts were packed in plastic for transport. The remaining carcasses were dumped deep inside the forest.

Three days later, a raid on their camp led by the Sathyamangalam Range Forest Officer uncovered a 10-foot tiger skin with nails intact, four carapace shells, four jaw bones with teeth, eight limb bones with claws, two tail bones with fur, 14 neck bones, 24 vertebrae, four rib bones and 58 other bones. Active jaw traps, knives and spears were also recovered. DNA analysis confirmed the remains belonged to a tiger and leopard, both Schedule-I species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.