BENGALURU: A poacher was arrested and remanded to judicial custody for hunting a wild deer in Sakrebailu Wildlife Range, Gajnur in Shivamogga district on Friday. However, his accomplices comprising seven more known offenders belonging to a network of poachers managed to escape.
Shivamogga Wildlife, deputy conservator of forests Cheluvaraj said, “One poacher was caught by Sakrebailu north beat staff during patrolling. He was remanded to judicial custody by the Shivamogga JMFC court on Friday.”“We are combing the area for other offenders who managed to escape. They are known offenders belonging to a poaching network,” he added.
Ravi Naik (27) from Hosakoppa village, Shivamogga taluk was caught red handed with meat and deer skin at Hosakoppa and Uldanigudda Shettihalli wildlife sanctuary forest area. The other offenders who have been named in the FIR include Laxmana, Manja Naika, Naga, Loka Naika, Chethu Ayanur, Manju Ayanur and Ravi Ayanuru.
Wildlife activists say more measures need to be taken to control poaching as the Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary has a healthy population of big carnivores. They add, “With a healthy prey density of spotted deer and other antelopes, it has been on the radar of poaching gangs and six months back, hunters were arrested for killing a spotted deer in this sanctuary.”