Two arrested, two bear cubs rescued

[Bibhav Behera]

KEONJHAR (Orissa): Two bear cubs were rescued and two persons arrested while allegedly trying to smuggle them in Orissa's Keonjhar district, police said today.

The two were arrested by police at Jhumpura while carrying the animals in a card board box yesterday. They have been booked under Wildlife Protection Act, the sources said.

The cubs were handed over to forest officials while the duo had been identified as Subhas Behera of Jhumpura and Sibray Majhi of Silisuan.

Forest officials are trying to ascertain from where the accused got he animals.

Read more: Two arrested, two bear cubs rescued - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Two-arrested-two-bear-cubs-rescued/articleshow/7347612.cms#ixzz1BvWs06ff

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Sad to hear about this. The enforcement officials use a rule of thumb of 1:10 ie. for every case they are able to apprehend, ten instances they fail to detect and catch. So this might be going on for sometime. Especially from places which don't have much of protection like the National parks.

Wildlife trafficking has to be treated as severely as drug trafficking. Only then the cases will come down a bit.

Stuffing the bear cubs in cardboard boxes is inhuman and speaks volumes of how cruel we can be. These people deserve exemplary punishment.

Sabyasachi