Police arrested three individuals -- Rahul Shahi, 18, and Raju Shahi, 26, who are residents of Golmathe, Ward no 7, Bhaktapur district, and Manoj Kapali, 30, of Panauti , Kavre district -- along with the tiger skin. [break]
The investigation team involved in the seizure was led by Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN) and supported by Bhaktapur district police.
WCN said the arrests were made while the three were trying to sell the tiger skin. The arrested are under custody at Bhaktapur District Police Office for further investigations.
MoU with India on Thursday
After a long-drawn exercise, Nepal is signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India on curbing illegal trade in animal parts and on other conservation initiatives between the two countries.
The MoU will be signed on Thursday, Forest Minister Deepak Bohara told myrepublica.com.
“After the MoU with China in June, we were working hard to enter into a similar agreement with India and the time has finally come for that,” Bohara said.
The MoU will be signed by Satya Prakash Yadav, Deputy Inspector General of National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forests of India, and Nepal´s Director General of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Gopal Prasad Upadhyay.
World Bank grant for conservation
The World Bank agreed to provide IDA (International Development Association) funding worth $6 million to Nepal, on Wednesday.
The World Bank IDA Fund will be used for the protection of tiger habitats and for voluntary resettlement of forest encroachers in various border areas, including Laljhari, Basanta and Khata.
The IDA Fund works on the basis of a 1:2 ratio. The Nepal government already has $3 million in the Fund and will thus benefit from another $6 million, going by that ratio.
“The funding will be used for protection of tigers and their habitat and also for resettlement of forest encroachers in various border areas,” Bohara said.
IDA is part of the World Bank that helps the world´s poorest countries. Established in 1960, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing interest-free credit and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people´s living conditions.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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