Assam forest dept apprehends two rhino poachers at Kaziranga National Park

The Assam forest department on Thursday apprehended two rhinoceros poachers in the Balidubi Chapori area in the 6th addition of Kaziranga National Park. According to reports, two poachers identified as Ayub Nabi and Imran Ali were arrested.

Acting on a tip-off, an operation was launched on Thursday morning with a joint team of Biswanath Police and Pranjal Baruah Ranger of Crime Investigation Range of Biswanath Wildlife Division. One rifle along with one magazine has been recovered from their possession. A case has been registered and further action is being taken up.

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Sloth bear poacher arrested

Earlier on October 24, officials finally caught a notorious tiger poacher, who also ate the penis of sloth bears believing it could cure impotency, in Madhya Pradesh. As per media reports, officials had been tracking the poacher, Yarlen, for six years. A special task force was formed in 2013 after forest officials discovered multiple carcasses of sloth bears with their organs missing.  

The accused reportedly admitted that he killed many tigers, sloth bears, a large number of peacocks, and wild boar. Yarlen also sold the bladders of the sloth bears on the black market to people who believed that they have special features and would cure their problems. He is also suspected to be behind the disappearance of a tigress from the Pench reserve in 2012. The tigress' hide was found mutilated in Nepal a year later.

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An official was quoted by a media outlet that said that Yarlen had previously jumped his bail and has also presented forged documents. He has also changed his name multiple times in the past few years. Some of his known aliases are Jasrat and Luzalen. Another reason the poacher was successful in evading officials was that it is believed that he bribed the heads of the villages he shifted to with boars. The police recovered a few Aadhar cards and three fake voter IDs from him.  

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(with ANI inputs)