MYSURU: Amid concern over poaching cases, especially after the outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent lockdowns, ‘theft and disappearance’ of camera traps installed in the forest areas have posed a new challenge to the officials concerned.
According to sources, in a span of one month, more than 10 trap cameras that were installed at Nagarahole Tiger Reserve and other forest areas in the region have gone ‘missing’ or ‘stolen’ which has come as a blow to the forest department in its effort to keep a track of wildlife movement.
The unusual rise in the number of thefts of these cameras has now come to the notice of the officials who are suspecting involvement of poachers and unauthorised people. The camera traps not only help the officials track wildlife movement in the forests, but enable them track movement of poachers entering the forest area.
In June, at least 8 camera traps installed at Veeranahosahalli, Anechowkuru and other buffer zones of Nagarahole, were lifted,which came to the notice of officials when they went to collect the chip from these cameras. A similar incident was reported at Doddaharave reserve forest where cameras were installed as part of the tiger census. Two cameras of Cuddeback and memory cards worth Rs 32,000 were stolen by miscreants and a police complaint has been lodged. Deputy Conservator of Forests and Director of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve Mahesh Kumar suspect that it might be handiwork of poachers and miscreants who do this to enter the forest illegally.