Other States - Orissa   

Forest guards ill-equipped to take on poachers

Staff Reporter

Check gates closed due to lack of staff

BERHAMPUR: The forest officials seem to be ill equipped to counter the poachers active in forests of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts of South Orissa.

During recent years poaching has increased in this area that is hinted by seizure of animal skins and parts of animal carcass on their way to be transported outside the State. Ganjam, Phulbani and Ghumusar forest divisions manage the forests of these districts.

According to the field staff of the forest department, they are still moving out into the forests with age-old lathis and outdated guns in hand while the poachers have started using modern weapons. The jungles of this area have leopards, elephants, spotted deer, barking deer etc.

Lack of proper number of forest guards has led to closure of some forest check gates. In the North Ghumusar forest division there were eight check gates. But three check gates have been lifted and the reason was lack of staff. In the Baliguda forest division out of 14 check gates only seven are active.

But police and forest department records say that the region is now in the eyes of inter-State poachers and illegal traders of body parts of endangered animal species.

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Former Superintendent of Police of Kandhamal S.K.Gajbhiye had found during investigation that the net of the wild animal skin mafia operative in Kandhamal district stretches up to Arunachal Pradesh.

Poachers active in the area had links with the hunting Lushiya tribals of Arunachal Pradesh.

Members of hunting tribe were allegedly brought to jungles of Kandhamal district to help in poaching of elephants, leopards, panthers, bear and deer.

These tribals are adept in killing animals inhumanly after trapping them with little injury on their skins to get more prices for the skins.

An alleged poacher and trader of animal skins from Tamilnadu K.R.Jayakumar had managed to escape from the police and forest officials' net in 2006.

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