Siliguri, 14th December: The forest department has geared up to bust wildlife trafficking dauntlessly prevailing right under the nose of the administration. This comes after rare species of turtles were recovered from a house located in Siliguri.
The Belakoba Range under the Baikunthpur division of the forest department raided several pet shops in Siliguri on Wednesday. Apart from raiding every shop on Bidhan Road in Siliguri, a businessman’s house in Hakim Para was also raided. Belakoba Ranger Sanjay Dutta, Manjula Tirkey, ADFO of Baikunthpur Division and several officers of the Forest Department were present in the operation. However, no rare species of animals or birds were found during the raid. During the campaign, shopkeepers were cautioned not to trade any rare or endangered species. Reportedly, such campaigns will be carried out in the coming days as well.
Speaking in this regard, ADFO Manjula Tirkey said that recently two turtles of rare species were recovered from a house located at Hakimpara Sanghati More of Siliguri. Since then the campaign to stop wild animal trafficking has been launched in the city. “Any illegal activities related to wildlife will not be tolerated,” the ADFO added.