Sashastra Seema Bal now a nemesis for wildlife smugglers

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has had a good run in nabbing the smugglers involved in carrying out wildlife crime. This year, SSB has seized things worth Rs 187.69 crore from 93 smugglers. These smugglers were involved in smuggling endangered species like Tokey Gecko lizards and prohibited items like snake venom, tiger and leopard skins and bones, elephant tusks/ivory, rhino horn, snake sand boa, tortoise, turtle and deer, deer skin and deer meat.

Recently, the SSB apprehended snake venom worth Rs 100 crore in West Bengal, which happens to the be the most wildlife-crime prone state with 125 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh with 54 cases.

Sources said Alipurduar in West Bengal is the main hub of wildlife smuggling from where 98 cases had been reported followed by Bahraich (15 cases) and Balrampur (15cases) in UP, Udalguri (14cases) in Assam, Jailpaiguri (12) and Darjeeling (10) in West Bengal.

Other areas of wildlife smuggling are Lakhimpur Kheri in UP and Kishanganj and West Champaran in Bihar. The illegal trade also includes body parts of dead animals like rhino horns, leopard skin and paw, deer horn and skull, rein deer skin, barking deer skin and elephant trunk.

The data shows that the price of seized products showed a massive increase to Rs11.16 crore and Rs 46.62 crore with the arrest of 43 and 70 smugglers in 2015 and 2016 respectively. In 2017, the SSB team has seized wild life products worth Rs 187.69 crore from 93 smugglers in 82 cases.

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