Smugglers keep changing MO

Chennai: Despite stringent measures and law to curb poaching, illegal wildlife trade continues in Tamil Nadu. During the early 1990s, tusks and tiger skin were the most sou­ght after in wildlife trade when forest brigand Veer­appan and his aides were prowling in the Sathya­mangalam-Nilgiri biosphere and later, from the year 2000 onwards, it was the poaching and smuggling of star tortoises, sea cucumber and sea horses. Now the poachers have shifted their focus to red sanders (scheduled timber under forest conservation Act) and sand boa.

In the past four years, Tamil Nadu had not witnessed any poaching acti­vities related to big cats, but there were a few cases of tusks missing from dead elephants, a senior wildlife official said, add­ing that the timber mafia and ganja cultivation con­­t­inue to be a problem in core forest areas of Meg­h­amalai reserve fore­sts and the border areas of Kerala located within the Indira Gandhi wild­life sanctuary.

In the case of red san­ders, reserve forests in the eastern ghats are targeted by the poachers and Chennai has become a tra­nsit point of late, he admitted. “The concept of why sand boa are being poa­ched still remains a mystery and several rangers like me do not understand why the farmers poach them. Now the situation is normal but during 2012, sand boa poaching topped the list,” said a senior forest ranger.

Similarly, collection of a particular variety of mus­­­h­room was also beco­ming a menace in the Kod­aikanal hills, where the villagers opine that the mushroom, when coo­k­ed and served, gives a high similar to that of drin­king alcohol.

In the case of timber smu­­­ggling, it is becoming common and since the offence is non-cognisable, there is no fear among the offenders. It is high time to look into the forest conservation Act so that the natural reso­urces are protected better, the ranger added.

The problem in our cou­n­try is lack of awareness and poor implementation of the wildlife Act and rules. Several marine ma­m­­­mals, including sha­r­­ks and rays, are protected under the wildlife protection Act, but fishermen who catch such endangered species are often let off without any case being registered, rued marine biologist Supraja Dharini, founder, Tree Foundation.