Pangolins, which are found in all the districts in Odisha, are in peril due to the growing menace of poaching and the inefficiency of the authorities to control it, said the Wildlife Society of Odisha (WSO) here on Friday.The Forest Department has not made any efforts to gather intelligence on this illegal trade. While the Crime Branch’s Special Task Force (STF) has used intelligence to seize and arrest wildlife smugglers, forest officials have continued to depend on chance encounters. So, it is no surprise that police have seized more live pangolins than forest officials, said Wildlife Protection Survey of India (WPSI) project director Biswajit Mohanty.

Anil Dhir of WSO said that until three years ago, the Forest Department was unaware about threats to the pangolins. On June 18, 2018 when notorious wildlife smuggler Shamsuddin Khan was caught by forest officials, they had no clue about his past. Thankfully, the STF stepped in and arrested six more accomplishes, including two international smugglers, from north-east India.

Mohanty said that for the last five to six years, the demand for live pangolins has gone up sharply in international markets, particularly China.  Finding that the trafficking of animal is lucrative than ivory or drug trade, organised mafia gangs have entered the illegal business which is comparatively easier for them. But the Forest Department is yet to understand the enormity of the pangolin smuggling rackets in Odisha and how its curativeness has attracted organised gangs.

Of the 49 live pangolins’ seizures in 48 cases till now, 24 seizures carried out by police, primarily by the STF. Of the 114 men arrested in the 48 cases, 64 were nabbed by the Forest Department and 50 by police, he added.