MYSURU: Conservator of Forest and director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve T Heeralal has issued show cause notices to Range Forest Officers (RFO) who are not staying in official quarters provided to them in their headquarters thus affecting the conservation works. This comes close on the heels of a tiger’s death in Gopalana Halla in Maddur.
Heeralal told Express that the “show cause notices have been served to one or two RFOs including Kalkere RFO.” He said recently he came to know that a few RFOs stay away from their headquarters because of ‘family reasons’ and visit the headquarters just once or twice in a week. “I have strictly warned all 13 RFOs in Bandipur not to leave their headquarters and inform higher ups before leaving in case of emergencies,” he said. Sources said many RFOs prefer private accommodation in Gundlupet town as it offers them the ‘luxury’ to be with their family. They can’t keep their family with them if put up in official quarters, a majority of which are located in interior forest without proper electricity and other facilities.
The absence of RFOs in the headquarters has made the staff of Anti-Poaching Camps (APC) take the patrolling lightly. Though Heeralal claims that there cannot be any deficiency in APC patrolling because of ‘Hejje’, a software that keeps track on patrolling, the fact that the forest authorities came to know about the tiger’s killing 2-3 three days later speaks otherwise. “Gopalanahalla where the tiger was shot dead is just 750 metres away from a poaching camp. If the patrolling was proper, then how come they did not hear the gun sound?” questioned a wildlife activist who chose to remain anonymous. Also the fact that the killers had built a small hut like hideout is enough to prove that the patrolling is weak, he added.
It was a perfect shot
Another wildlife activist hit out at CF Heeralal for coming to the conclusion that locals are behind the tiger killing and not poachers from outside. “How can he say so? It’s a perfect shot. The bullet which entered from shoulder blade has gone out through the spinal chord. One claw in the left leg is missing which the authorities had chosen to ignore during mahazar. All this gives suspicion that the killing was part of an organised crime,” he said.