Officials of the Anaimalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) and special teams of the Conservator of Forests, Erode, recovered four panther and one black-panther skins and one tiger skin in Pollachi on Thursday. Seven persons have been arrested. The teams sent a decoy who posed as a trader dealing in animal skin and approached a person at Dharapuram. Based on the information provided by him the teams visited a house at Goundanpalayam in Pollachi. The decoy on finalising the ‘deal' came out under the pretext of bringing the money and alerted waiting members of the special teams. The teams found the skins kept in a secret place inside a house.
Mr. Basuvaraju said that the original owner (now absconding) was given possession certificates for five skins. The officials found one panther skin without possession certificate. Possession of a skin without valid authorisation and trying to trade i.e. sell the skins with possession certificate is an offence. Relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 were being invoked against the accused, he said.
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