Two men are under arrest in Chhattisgarh's Pendra-Marwahi forest belt after forest officials accused them of pulling out all four claws from a bear that was already dead. All four missing claws have been recovered from the pair, and a case has been registered against them under the Wildlife Protection Act.
How the case unfolded
Forest staff who rushed to the spot after the carcass was reported found that all four of the bear's paws had been stripped of their claws. The discovery raised suspicion that someone had deliberately tampered with the body, prompting an immediate investigation. To trace the culprits, the team brought in a sniffer dog, which picked up a trail and led officials straight to the two men. Under questioning, both admitted to removing the claws, and the missing claws were then seized from them.
What the postmortem found
An examination of the carcass showed the bear had not died from any attack or poaching attempt but from a lung infection, meaning its death was entirely natural. Even so, removing body parts from a dead protected animal is treated as seriously under wildlife law as harming one that is alive. Once the postmortem was complete, the bear was cremated with full rites in the presence of DFO Kumar Nishant.
Superstition fuels the illegal trade
Forest personnel say the underground trade in bear claws, teeth and other body parts is driven largely by superstition. Some people believe wearing such parts as amulets or keeping them locked away at home brings good fortune, even though there is no real basis for the belief. That misplaced faith keeps demand alive in the illegal market, and traffickers exploit it for profit.
Penalties in law and the department's appeal
Officials pointed out that the bear is a Schedule-1 protected species, which makes possessing, selling or buying any part of its body entirely illegal. Anyone caught doing so can face three to seven years in prison along with a fine. The forest department has urged people not to fall for superstitious beliefs and to immediately report any suspicious activity involving wildlife.
