NILGIRIS: In the wake of the recent arrest of a six-member gang from North India (Bawaria) killing a sub adult female tiger and a leopard in Avalanche a month ago, officials of Nilgiris forest division have increased perambulation in tiger populated area in the division.
S Gowtham, District Forest Officer of Nilgiris Forest division, told TNIE, “The department would strengthen protection in tiger populated ranges such as Korakundha, Kundha, Avalanche and Parson Valley by engaging more number of Anti Poaching Watchers. We will do the combing operation and complete it within a month and strengthen the protection.”
So far no staff have been suspended in connection with the poaching incident and they continue to investigate with the involvement of locals since the gang could not have carried out the crime alone, he added.
N Sadiq Ali, founder of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust said “Forest department should seek police help to find out the involvement of more people apart from increasing the protection round the clock.”
A team of forest staff took the six accused to the crime spot near Avalanche on Monday where the staff of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) recovered leopard skin, knives and spear along with snare used for killing the big cats using a jaw trap. The leopard skin was recovered in a decomposed state.
Deputy Director of STR P Kiruba Shankar said, “The accused are from a nomadic community in Punjab and Rajasthan and poached to sell the bones and skin for huge sums as the demand for tiger bones is huge in China where they are used to prepare certain medicines. Trade in animal parts takes place through the Burma and Nepal borders.”
D Venkatesh, Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and conservator of Forest, Nilgiris, said, “This is the first wildlife offense case committed by the Bawaria gang in Tamil Nadu. The offenders chose a hilly route to kill the tiger evading the forest staff checks. We trekked more than seven hours to reach the place which is located more than 250 feet in the hill in Avalanche and this is opposite to the regular route. The gang was working as labourers in carrot and potato fields and some of them were selling blankets in the last two years. DFO Gowtham will be monitoring the perambulation work.”