Nuapada: Forest officials have seized a leopard skin and arrested a person involved in killing and trading the endangered species in Nuapada district.
The accused, identified as Hrishikesh Bagh of Sinapali area in Nuapada, was apprehended on the night of August 25 while carrying the leopard skin on a scooty on the Cheliaguda Biju Expressway.
According to Khariar Divisional Forest Officer Aziz Khan, the Forest Department acted on suspicion and arrested Bagh, who was found carrying the skin. The skin has been seized and will undergo forensic examination to determine the cause of the animal’s death.
The leopard skin measures 180 cm in length from head to tail, indicating that the animal was over a year old.
Bagh has been charged under the Wildlife Protection Act and the Act on Killing and Trading Wild Animals. The Forest Department is conducting further investigation into the matter.
