Wildlife articles, including tushes of female elephant and leopard skins, that were seized by the Forest Department on various occasions were burnt at Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) here on Saturday.
Eleven items of wildlife articles comprising tushes, deer antlers, leopard skin, tiger fake skin, tiger teeth and nails, leopard teeth, nails and jaws in the possession of the department were burnt in the presence of Nihar Ranjan, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director, STR, P.G. Arunlal, District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam Division and Deputy Field Director, STR, range officers, field staff, NGOs and members of village forest committee here.
Officials said most of the body parts were recovered from dead animals while a few were seized from offenders at various forest areas at STR. To prevent miscreants from collecting the articles from the carcass of wild animals, they were removed during post-mortem and preserved and burnt, they said.
