ANANTAPUR: The carcasses of at least 10 black bucks were found at a deserted place on the outskirts of Narayanapuram village in Adoni mandal in Kurnool district on Sunday. After receiving information from the locals, the Adoni division forest officials, along with the police, sounded an alert at all border check-posts of both AP and Karnataka to nab the poachers.
The poachers’ gang is suspected to have killed the black bucks for meat, especially from the head, and skin after laying a trap. Special teams have been formed to arrest the poachers, suspecting that they might have planned to sell the meat and the skin in the market, said Adoni division forest officer Sudarshan.
The forest department was also investigating the case from multiple angles over the role of either habitual hunters or locals involved in killing of the animals, he said.
Black bucks inhabit in large numbers in the Adoni forest belt that is connected to adjacent Karnataka forest and plain lands. The forest department officials noticed black bucks were gunned down when they were on regular visit to the area.
It may be mentioned here that two tigers were killed in the Nallamala forest, a part of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve, in the last three months and two leopards were killed in road accidents after being hit by speeding vehicles in Kurnool and Kadapa districts.
The forest department officials allegedly threw the carcass of a tigress into a canal one month ago to avoid investigation and departmental inquiry after it was killed by poachers.
