NASHIK: Last week, on Thursday, a leopard skin was found in a central part of the city. The skin was to be sent to the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology in Hyderabad to be tested for leopard skin. However, due to non-receipt of permission from senior officials, the journey to Hyderabad has been delayed even after four days.
In the city’s Indiranagar area, a leopard skin was found while opening a closed sack while loading garbage into a garbage truck at the highway near Jupiter hotel. After informing the forest department officials about this, the skin was taken into custody by the team of the Nashik West Forest department. Forest officials checked the skin to see if it belonged to a leopard. At first glance, the skin is thought to be that of a leopard, officials said.
More than four days after the seizure of the leopard skin, no action has been taken by the Forest Department officials and teams. In particular, permission was sought from the Forest Department’s senior officials to send the skin to the laboratory. The skin will be sent to Hyderabad as soon as permission is given, forest officials said. However, the skin is still lying in Nashik as permission has not been obtained yet.
Meanwhile, there is a picture that wildlife trafficking cases are not being taken seriously at the senior level. The Forest Department is discussing that the investigation into wildlife smuggling is not getting direction as the skins of suspected leopards in Indiranagar have not been sent for inspection.
Ignoring wildlife
The local forest department had written to the senior office seeking permission to send the suspected leopard skin to a laboratory in Hyderabad for testing. Despite the sensitive nature of the discovery of protected wildlife skins in the central part of the city, only correspondence was carried out, no serious action has been taken yet. It is understood that the skin will be sent to Hyderabad on Monday only after the written permission of the concerned senior officers.
Leopard skin found on open plot
