Kathmandu, September 13

Police arrested four persons with body parts of endangered wild animals from different places of Kathmandu yesterday.

Dil Kumar Shrestha, 20, Lima Bahadur Shrestha, 37, and Ramesh Bohara, 24, of Sindhupalchowk were held in possession of two leopard hides and 1.5 kg bones from Jamal. Similarly, Sujan Waiba, 22, of Sarlahi was arrested with a tiger hide from Nayapati.

According to police investigation, they were using Kathmandu as a transit for smuggling wildlife body parts to foreign countries, mainly China.

As many as 17 cases of wildlife crimes have been reported in Kathmandu Valley since the beginning of the current fiscal 2018-19. The wild animals most sought after by poachers and smugglers include red panda, leopard, pangolin, deer and Eurasian eagle.

Officials said that poachers usually come to Kathmandu with wildlife body parts in search of prospective clients and sell them to racketeers, who eventually smuggle the contraband into foreign countries.

Anyone arrested with body parts of endangered wild animal is handed over the concerned district forest office for legal action. DFO is the only authorised agency to prosecute wildlife poachers and smugglers under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973. Anyone involved in the trade of protected species can be slapped with a fine up to

Rs 100,000 and a jail term of five to 15 years as per the existing laws.

Red panda hides and body parts are usually smuggled to China and Myanmar for their supposed medicinal qualities and aesthetic use. Poachers have been found selling red panda hide for Rs 200,000 to

Rs 600,000 depending on their clients.

Similarly, pangolin scales fetch around US$ 2,500 per kg in the international market. Pangolin scales and body parts of other wild animals are in high demand in Asian markets as they are used in manufacturing traditional Chinese medicine, handicraft and decorative items.