Summary:
COIMBATORE: The forest department on Tuesday destroyed leopard skins, claws, gaur’s trophy and deer horns that were seized in different cases of poaching, as the cases have been closed.Chief conservator of forest, Coimbatore circle, Deepak Srivastava and district forest officer Venkatesh also destroyed as many as 66 tushes, along with the seized animal parts.According to forest department officials, most of the tushes were collected from female elephants that were found dead in the reserve forest in the past few years.The leopard skin and claws, and trophy of the guar were seized from poachers. The seized items, including deer horns, were kept at the office of seven range offices at Madukkarai, Coimbatore, Boluvampatti, Periyanaickenpalayam, Karamadai, Mettupalayam and Sirumugai for the last eight years, an official said.Since the cases have been closed, officials got permission from the chief wildlife warden to destroy the seized animal skin, claws and deer horns.On Tuesday evening, as many as 108 items were burnt on the office premises of the district forest officer, in the presence of NGOs..