Notorious tiger poacher and six accomplices sentenced to 7 years imprisonment

A notorious tiger poacher, who was considered at least partially responsible for the disappearance of all tigers from Sariska, has been sentenced to 7 years in jail.

The case arises from the killing of a tiger by the ‘Juhru' in 2004, according to the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), who was assisted in the case; the maximum sentence was handed down by the Chief Judicial Magistrate.

‘Juhru' has been accused in at least 14 wildlife crime cases, including six cases of tiger poaching, and he has been convicted on at least two occasions of leopard poaching and in one case of tiger poaching, in 2003 again at Sariska. He was sentenced to five years each in the leopard cases, and seven years for the tiger case.

Responsible for the disappearance of tigers from Sariska
"He was one of the main people responsible for the disappearance of tigers from Sariska," said Ashok Kumar, Vice-chairman, WTI. "Such sentences overlap as per Indian laws. Repeat offenders should be serving consecutive sentence for all these killings."

Tiger poisoned
In a separate incident, a 5 year-old tiger that was found dead near Nagarahole Tiger Reserve was posioned, probably with zinc oxide, in retaliation for preying on livestock that was grazing inside the park.