C’garh: Indravati National Park Faces Prospect Being Tigerless After Poaching Of Big Cats, 7 Arrested, 3 Forest Officials Suspended
All these five tigers, suspected to be inmates of the Indravati National Park, were allegedly killed by the interstate wildlife traffickers, the forest officer added.
Raipur: The Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district faces the prospect of being tigerless, thanks to alleged poaching of its big cat inmates.
While three tiger hides have been seized, search was on for two other tiger skins, a senior forest officer told this newspaper on Friday, unwilling to be quoted.
All these five tigers, suspected to be inmates of the Indravati National Park, were allegedly killed by the interstate wildlife traffickers, the forest officer added.
Sources said that a nexus between some forest guards and the wildlife traffickers is suspected to have led to killing of these five big cats.
“The poachers are suspected to have received real-time information on movements of tigers in the Indravati National Park from the camera traps deployed in the reserve for the ongoing tiger census”, the forest officer said.
He however said that a probe was ongoing into the matter and the entire network will be busted after the probe.
“Seven people have already been arrested in connection with the killing of the tigers”, he said.
Three forest officials, Pasewada core range ranger, Kamal Kashyap, deputy ranger Narahari Kashyap and forest guard Biswanath Majhi, were on Thursday suspended on charges of dereliction of duty.
