CHENNAI: Two persons were arrested by the forest department in Ooty for attempting to sell tiger nails and teeth.

Acting on a tip that two persons were trying to sell tiger parts, a special team led by Ooty South Forest Range Officer Krishnakumar held inquiries and zeroed down Lakshmanan and Chandran from a tribal village near Manjur. The duo had gone to collect honey from beehives in the Emerald forest area, when they spotted the carcass of a tiger and extracted its teeth and nails.

Based on their information, the District Forest Officer (DFO), Nilgiris division S Gowtham visited the spot and examined the carcass of the animal.

“A post-mortem was performed and samples were sent for laboratory testing. The carcass was then consumed by fire in the presence of wildlife activists as per the protocol of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA),” said an official.

The accused persons were then produced in court and remanded in judicial custody to be lodged in prison.

Meanwhile, activists have urged the forest department to enhance vigil as the staff was unaware of the tiger’s death for many days.