Wealthy Indian poachers slapped with hefty fine
Copyright 2001 Reuters
November 21, 2001
LUCKNOW, India — Forestry authorities in northern India slapped 12 poachers with a 1-million-rupee (US$208,550) fine and said they believed it was the highest penalty ever imposed for such an offense in the country.
The poachers, all wealthy businessmen, were arrested on Saturday in the Chandauli district, 350 km (220 miles) from Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, in an area rich in wildlife such as leopards, bears, and deer, officials said.
"The fine was imposed on them as a group and was the highest ever in the country, considering the fact that the culprits were affluent businessmen,'' the state's chief wildlife conservator R.L. Singh said Monday.
India's Wildlife Act, aimed at protecting the country's dwindling wildlife population, empowers forestry officials to fine poachers, taking into account their financial status.
The poachers were freed after paying half of the fine and promising to pay the rest within a week, Divisional Forest Officer Ramesh Pandey said. Officials also seized weapons and ammunition worth 700,000 rupees from the poachers.
The poachers were arrested before they could kill any animals and "confessed they had come to the forest with the intention of poaching,'' Pandey said.