BENGALURU: Snaring of wildlife at coffee estates in Western Ghats districts is on the rise, with both prey and predators being hunted and killed silently. Calling for concerted action, wildlife activists say the recent incident of chital snaring in Mudigere is just the tip of the iceberg as not just deer, but also tigers, leopards, panthers, wild boars, sambar, blackbuck and other wildlife are being snared for their meat, skin, horns, bones, claws, and teeth.
In Mudigere range, Gonibidu section near Jannapura Kannehalli village, a spotted deer was snared in Congress leader Hemashekar’s coffee estate recently. Amid the din of Dasara festivities, the hunters surreptitiously installed a snare and trapped a chital. Further, they transported the hunted deer to labour quarters to share the meat.
But with activists tipping off officials, Mudigere RFO Prahalad and his team caught three hunters red handed with the meat, deer head, skin and the animal’s legs. Also, 7-8 kg of meat was recovered. The three hunters — Mani, Sundar and Gajendra — were arrested and booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and have been remanded in judicial custody by the Mudigere JMFC court.
Wildlife activist G Veeresh said, “Hunting is rampant in coffee estates across Chikkamagaluru district. Animals are snared regularly with their meat relished in the state.” Snaring is also rampant in Kodagu, Shivamogga, Belagavi, and Uttara Kannada as it can kill the animal silently, activists add. Further, in the past few years, coffee estates adjacent to the forest areas has been witnessing wildlife kills. Smugglers keep snares for killing animals for their skin, nails, meat and for wildlife trophies, Veeresh said, adding that the material are transported to different states and then exported to Vietnam and China.