NILGIRIS: Expressing concern over increase in wildlife offences in the Nilgiris forest division, activists have called for strengthening the forest department by filling vacancies, and also developing a good rapport with the local population. According to sources, there are more than 1,000 vacancies for watchers, forest guards, foresters and forest range officers across the state. Despite promotion in all these categories, the posts were not filled by the state government.
Nilgiris-based conservationist N Mohanraj said, “The forest department has to sensitise people who are known to kill wild boar or spotted deer for meat by placing snares. In most cases, leopards and even wild elephants get stuck in the snares and get injured, sometimes suffering fatal injuries. The forest department can curtail poaching only if it works by collaborating with locals as it is difficult for them alone to monitor the 2,500 square km (entire Nilgiris district) with the staff they have.”
N Sadiq Ali, founder of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT), said, “There is an urgent need to appoint additional staff in the Nilgiris forest division. Young tribal people should be recruited as we found out that those currently involved in patrolling are aged and find the high altitude areas difficult to cover.”
“Though the state government has set up zonal offices of the Tamil Nadu Forest and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau in Coimbatore and Chennai etc, only one assistant conservator of forest is working. Also, the department has not provided weapons to the officers for safety as was evident when the ACF went to arrest the accused involved in gaur shooting recently,” he added.
Also, he charged that the forest department has yet to form a cybercrime unit. “Like police, forest department should set up cybercrime unit to trace the accused using their cell phone signals because every time, forest officials are depending upon the police department,” said Sadiq.
When contacted, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden Srinivas R. Reddy told TNIE that the department has sufficient staff. He added that intelligence mechanism would be strengthened, including cultivating informers, as the population of tigers, leopards, and sloth bears is increasing in Nilgiris.
TIMELINE
January 2022: Tigress and leopard killed for skin, and nails at Avalanche. A gang of six from Bawaria community arrested in February
October ’23: Gaur killed for meat on Katteri dam road in Kundha
December 2023: Leopard killed for nails