NILGIRIS: Two persons from Kerala were arrested by the Nilgiris forest division personnel on charges of killing a gaur in Kallakorai village near Ooty on Saturday night. The duo allegedly shot dead the animal for its meat. The culprits were identified as A Aneesh Mon (43) and M Zissar (45), residents of Vazhikakadavu in Nilambur in Kerala.
After killing the animal near the tea estate, the duo was returning in a pickup van when locals gathered at the spot after hearing the gunshots. They alerted the forest department and said poachers are roaming in a vehicle with Kerala registration plate. The forest staff reached the spot and noticed a gaur carcass and alerted the neighbouring forest department staff and police to apprehend the two poachers fleeing to Kerala via Gudalur.
“We caught them after a chase at the Naduvattam bus stand. However, we are yet to recover the gun used for hunting the gaur. We have seized the pickup van along with the tools and slaughtering equipment,” said S Gowtham, District Forest Officer (DFO) of Nilgiris division.
Sources said the duo stacked putrefying carrots in an attempt to divert the attention of the forest and police during vehicle checks. “They decided to take the meat after slaughtering the animal in polythene covers. However, we received information before that and reached the spot. They are first-time offenders. We noticed only one gun shot in the gaur carcass,” said Gowtham.