Cauvery Sanctuary: Dynamites, Guns Give An Edge To Poachers Over Foresters
Besides, forest personnel asked for adequate staff to take on poachers in the Sanctuary and questioned “Hardly 3 are in APCs and how can they take a mighty gang of poachers when encountered?” Police investigate the case.
Bengaluru: In what seems to deter forest officials from acting villagers/poachers acting against them over forest offences particularly in Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in future, some identified persons reportedly used dynamites at three Anti-Poaching Camps (APCs) causing considerable damages to the properties belonging to the forest department. Besides, people on the fringes of the Sanctuary have access to country-made guns to give them a psychological advantage over forest personnel.
The planting/blasting of dynamites at 3 APCs came in the cover of darkness on August 15 after forest night patrolling teams split into two shot dead 3 suspected poachers on August 14 at around 5.30 am at Shagya section of Hanur range of the Sanctuary. The patrolling team recovered about 30-kg of meat reportedly belonging to deer stuffed in two bags, and seized two country made guns from them among other materials.
A top forest official told Deccan Chronicle on Thursday the Anti-Poaching Camps targeted by unidentified persons to blow up APCs are Betterayagudda, Ollemaradatti and however the official could not recall the name of another camp damaged by a dynamite in the Sanctuary.
One of the pictures accessed by this newspaper showed a big hole caused by the dynamite blast at an APC and the impact of the blast resulted in a portion of the wall falling down. A personnel attached to Hanur range said “Apart from the 3 dynamite blasts, a couple more blasts have also occurred in the Sanctuary after the shooting down of poachers.”
Continuing, the source said “The 3 poachers who were shot down by forest patrolling personnel were wanted by the department for a long time but it ended in a tragedy” and stated “Farmers will not get into forests at night and they do not keep country made guns with them. You can find country made guns at almost all the houses in the fringes.” Disclosing more on the poaching activities, the source said “First they poach deep in particular for self-consumption and sell the deer meat (venison) to their trusted customers.”
Forest personnel of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary wanted the State Government to initiate action to seize country-made guns from the people in the fringe areas to curb poaching and stated “Having access to country-made guns has given enough courage for these habitual poachers to indulge in forest offences especially poaching.”
Besides, forest personnel asked for adequate staff to take on poachers in the Sanctuary and questioned “Hardly 3 are in APCs and how can they take a mighty gang of poachers when encountered?” Police investigate the case.
