Mumbai, Nov. 10 -- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Saturday intercepted three members of an alleged wildlife trafficking syndicate and seized a leopard skin with head (in trophy form) from them in Bhopal. A 'trophy' is the part of a wild animal such as the head, horn, tusk or skin which is preserved through taxidermy and kept as a memento. The operation was conducted in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, after the DRI Mumbai Zonal Unit's Nagpur Regional Unit got a tip off about the wildlife trafficking syndicate. DRI officials then intercepted the three men at a hotel in Bhopal and recovered the leopard skin trophy from them. The seized item and the three alleged traffickers were then handed over to the forest division in Bhopal, for facing further action under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, said DRI officials. Leopards, also known as Panthera pardus, are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, which grants them the highest level of legal protection in India, and possession, trade, sale or purchase of leopard skin or parts is an offence under the act. Leopards are also included under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Appendix I, that regulates international trade of wild animals to protect them from over-exploitation. DRI officials said that it was worrisome that several inter-state wildlife trafficking networks are still active, leading to a thriving demand and supply (of wildlife). "Relentless enforcement, can disrupt the supply chain while also creating a fear in the minds of the wildlife traffickers," an official added. "DRI is undertaking operations to protect India's rich and diverse wildlife from poaching and illegal trade. Through close coordination with state forest departments, the DRI continues to dismantle trafficking networks through precise, intelligence-driven enforcement under the Wildlife (Protection) Act," said a DRI official....