Major Success in Cross-Border ‘Operation Safe Passage’: Two Tiger Skins Seized, Interstate Poaching Network Dealt a Severe Blow

Raipur/Kanker | Nuapada, July 2 A major breakthrough has been achieved under ‘Operation Safe Passage’, an anti-poaching and wildlife protection initiative being carried out by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department. Acting on intelligence inputs, a joint operation conducted by the Forest Department and various enforcement agencies has dealt a significant blow to an active interstate poaching network. During the operation, two accused poachers were arrested and two tiger skins were seized from their possession. The special raid was conducted in the West Paralkot Range of Kanker district, where the accused, identified as Babu Rao Mandavi and Biyeshwar Gidam, were apprehended. Following the seizure of the tiger skins, the Bhanupratappur Forest Division registered a case (POR No. 390/09), and further investigation is currently underway. Earlier, the Forest Department had also arrested a poacher in the Abujhmad region of Bastar for hunting nine Indian Giant Squirrels. Officials stated that sustained enforcement efforts are gradually weakening the network of organized wildlife poaching syndicates operating in the region. Speaking on the development, Varun Jain, Deputy Director of the Tiger Reserve, said that continuous and strict action against wildlife crimes is yielding positive results. According to him, there is increasing evidence of unrestricted tiger movement through wildlife corridors, indicating improved habitat connectivity and stronger wildlife conservation outcomes across central India. The Forest Department further emphasized the importance of protecting and restoring the Gadchiroli–Indravati–Abujhmad–Udanti–Sitanadi–Sunabeda Wildlife Corridor, which serves as a crucial landscape for the safe movement of tigers and several other rare wildlife species. Conservation of this corridor is essential for maintaining natural habitats, ensuring genetic exchange among wildlife populations, and supporting long-term ecological balance. The department reiterated its “Zero Tolerance” policy against wildlife crime and stated that coordinated legal action, forest restoration measures, and wildlife corridor protection efforts will be intensified in the coming days. The information was released through an official press statement issued by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department. Meanwhile, sources indicate that the Nuapada Forest Division is also maintaining strict surveillance over suspected poaching activities and has stepped up monitoring efforts to curb wildlife crimes in the region.