His name was Inspector Thapa, a serious man from the police department’s wildlife crime division. He had arrived by helicopter while Dr. Shrestha was still finishing up the tiger’s stitches. The old way of poaching was a thing of the past. Forget the image of a lone, poor hunter setting a simple wire trap in the woods. Today, wild tigers are hunted by wealthy, highly organized criminal networks. They use advanced technology to feed a massive global black market for rare tiger pelts, bones, and traditional medicines.
Thapa explained how the sinister new trap worked with a quiet anger. “Tigers are like ghosts in this thick jungle,” the inspector said. “Tracking them on foot can take months, and the risk of getting caught by our rangers is too high. So, these criminals changed their strategy completely to make an easy profit.”