KATHMANDU: Rumours about the overrated cost of the body parts of wild animals are fuelling the poaching, experts said. “The actual price rate of the body parts of the wild animals is hard to get as the rate differs from person to person. But the overestimated cost that comes into public has been found the main cause behind the constant poaching,” said Dr Hem Sagar Baral, an ornithologist. “We must be sensitive while disseminating such information to the public as it can encourage poachers and lure others into the illegal act,” he added. “It’s frequently reported that the market value of many birds, including Huchil (an owl species), is very high but I’m pretty sure that the actual price is far more less,” Baral claimed. According to him, the overestimated market price is also encouraging the layman to dive into poaching without the knowledge in ground reality and punishment in the aftermath. “Most of the first hand poachers are from the poor community and they just dream about the money. But it will be too late when they know the ground reality and regret,” added Baral. “It’s not that there are other factors which promote illegal trading of wildlife but the fake price is one of the major factors that has intensified the wildlife trade,” said Tarik Aziz, an expert of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Nepal. He also pointed at the loopholes in the law as those involved in such illegal business are often go scot free. “We are working under the Wildlife conservation Act 1972 and the decisions taken by the National Park authorities are mostly reversed or punishment is minimised by the court. Hence, there is the need to amend the law as well,” said Phanindra Kharel, Under Secretary, Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). “Although the poaching is done by the poor community people, the benefiters are high class national and international smugglers,” said Prasanna Yonzon, chief executive officer of Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN). “We have found some foreigners involved in trading but we will disclose the names only after a thorough investigation.”