BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike control room is receiving numerous calls requesting for wildlife rescue team, but they unable to answer them as the BBMP wildlife rescue team have boycott their work!
Rescue team has taken this decision after higher authorities asked them to submit reports on their operations! ”Our existence has been questioned; the BBMP wildlife team was formed in 2007 and Deputy Conservator of Forest to BBMP had recognized it then. The team works in honorarium basis, risking their life most of the time. Now, the letter from Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) Ravi Ralph has annoyed us. Hence we are on boycott from last two days.” a wildlife volunteer with BBMP said.
Letter Sent in Revenge
An wildlife volunteer with BBMP said that the letter sent has questions like ‘under what provision that BBMP rescue workers are authorized to catch snakes’, record of release of snakes, duly stating the date and place release,list of snakes captures and released and few others. The letter has been issued after a wild life conservator demonstrated snake catching live, at Bandipur wildlife park.
“The matter was brought to the notice of animal rights activists and Union Minister Maneka Gandhi. She also questioned this act by the wildlife authorities and hence, to avenge this, the authorities have sent letters to us.” a volunteer with BBMP wildlife team said. Nagabhushan, another volunteer said,” From the last two years, we have been giving the reports.
But the fact that the authorities have disowned us by asking such questions has hurt us.
Hence, we have decided to boycott and not to take any rescue calls.”
Wildlife Chief Speaks
Ravi Ralph,Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) said that, this letter had nothing to do with the Bandipur issue. “Here at BBMP, we wanted to maintain a record and streamline certain things. As far as handling live snake at Bandipur is concerned, the officials have been warned not to do such things in future.”
Wildlife Zones
The BBMP wildlife has 33 wardens scattered across eight zones. While most of the calls are pertaining to catching the snakes, they also get calls to catch birds and other animals. The BBMP Control room number 080-22660000 has received over 100 rescue calls from the last two days and are unable to give proper response to the callers.