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Forest officials examine tiger skins seized in Adilabad, Andhra Pradesh. Poaching is one of the biggest threats to the big cat worldwide. Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

Leopard skin, worth anywhere between $100,000 to $300,000, seized in Bhopal. Photo: A.M.Faruqui

A tusker lies dead, done in by poachers, at Singara near Udhagamandalam Photo: Special arrangement

Forest officials have intensified drive against bird poaching in Cuddalore. Migratory waterbirds fall prey in their millions every year to poaching, and illegal trade, according to the UN. Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

An injured Indian one-horned rhinoceros takes rest inside the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam. The Rhino was attacked with a spear by local villagers when it came out of the sanctuary in search for food. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Greater Adjutant storks stand at a garbage dump near Deepor Beel wildlife sanctuary on the outskirts of Gauhati. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that between 1,200 and 1,800 of them survive. Photo: AP

Adjutant Storks take rest on top of a building in the absence of trees, their natural perches. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Loss of habitat has forced many deer to stray into residential areas. A scene on a vacant plot in Taramani link road, Velachery, Chennai. Photo: N. Ravikumar

Villagers stand around the bodies of two female elephants who were killed by a speeding train near Thakurkuchi village on the outskirts of Guwahati. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

In spite of many speedbreakers speeding vehicles kill reptiles and small mammals at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Photo: M.Sathyamoorthy