BHUBANESWAR: As many as 14 cases of elephant poaching were reported in Odisha in the last five years between 2018 and 2022, the State government has stated in the Orissa High Court recently. As per the affidavit filed by the wildlife wing of the Forest department, five of these cases have been reported from the Athagarh forest division, while three cases are from the Boudh division. Besides, two cases each have been reported from Deogarh, Dhenkanal and Sambalpur, and one in the Ghumsur North division.
The cases included the death of an elephant in the Kaliapada forests of the Jayapur section in the Narasinghpur west range of Athagarh. The case is under investigation. Besides, the trial is yet to start in a number of these cases.
PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Shashi Paul, who filed the affidavit, stated that the State government has created a Special Task Force (STF) to deal with organised crime and criminals and the STF in addition to their original mandate, also investigates into the wildlife cases.
The wildlife wing also stated that a Wildlife Crime Cell functions under the administrative control of the Additional Director General of Police, CID Crime Branch in which four to six officers in the rank of ASI, SI, or Inspector headed by an additional SP or DSP are part of the Cell and are entrusted with the task of investigating the wildlife cases. An ACF and a forest ranger are brought from the Forest and Environment department to the cell on a deputation basis.
The Special Task Force of Crime Branch has investigated 33 cases so far under Wildlife Protection Act in which a charge sheet has been filed in 31 cases and a trial has been completed in one case, while two cases are pending for investigation. On July 25, the High Court expressed dissatisfaction over the counter affidavit filed by the wildlife wing and directed the personal appearance of the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) on August 8, the day fixed for the next hearing on the case.