HYDERABAD: Environment Minister A Indrakaran Reddy launched the ‘Wildlife Evidence Collection Kit’ on Friday on the occasion of International Tiger Day to curb poaching and the illegal trade of wild animals.As part of the collaborative efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Forest Department, these kits were provided to law enforcement officials to collect evidence from crime scenes pertaining to wildlife efficiently.
The kit includes protection gear, evidence storage containers, preservatives and sample collection equipment, along with an illustrative guidebook on ‘Biological Sample Collection for Wildlife Forensics’, which aims to provide a reference for law enforcement officials on the best practices for collecting and preserving different types of samples.
Speaking on occasion, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RM Dobriyal said that the forest department has been keen on equipping the staff with the best equipment and knowledge for the conservation of tigers and forests. “The number of tigers is increasing in the Amrabad and Kawal Tiger Reserves. Tigers are also colonising areas in erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts,” he said.
Chief Wildlife Warden Swargam Srinivas said that protection and successful prosecution were the key to tiger conservation anywhere in the world.The Minister, along with Bhupalapalli MLA G Venkat Ram Reddy and Chairman of Telangana State Forest Development Corporation V Prathap Reddy, also inaugurated an online ticketing system for the walkers/visitors of Botanical Garden inside Kothaguda Reserve Forest Block.The garden spans over 274.11 acres.