The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Anti-poaching drive stepped up

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Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Anti-poaching drive stepped up

Y. Mallikarjun

— Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Endangered lot: With poaching activity on the rise, peacocks no longer find haven on the city outskirts.

HYDERABAD: Forest officials have stepped up anti-poaching drive in and around the city following instances of killing of black-naped hares, wild boars and a peacock in the past few weeks.

An employee of Chiran Palace was arrested and imprisoned for 12 days after he killed a peacock near the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park in Jubilee Hills. In another case, the anti-poaching squad seized a live black-naped hare from a chicken centre at Vallabhai Patel Nagar, near Begumpet. Owners of dhabas in two other cases were fined Rs. 25, 000 each for selling meat of the black-naped hare at Dandupally, near Toopran and Medchal.

Offences against animals falling under Schedule three and four of the Wild Life Protection Act are compoundable up to Rs.25, 000 while those under Schedule one and two attract a minimum imprisonment of three to seven years and a penalty of Rs.10,000 and above.

Raids conducted

M. Raja Ramanna Reddy, Forest Range Officer of the Anti-Poaching Squad said “there is lot of poaching activity in Hyderabad city.” Mr. Reddy said the recently-constituted squad had been conducting raids on dhabas, chicken centres and areas surrounding the forest zones of Vikarabad and Medchal. Following a tip off from informers or on its own, the squad gets into action in spite of the lack of adequate regular staff.

The department has hired retired officials to assist Mr. Reddy in the task. “We need at least a Forest Section Officer and four Forest Beat Officers,” he added.

Pointing out that having even animal trophies like horns without permission from the forest authorities was an offence, he said it was planned to check “suspicious houses in posh localities”.

He said the department had laid a trap (a cage with a goat) at Nagole following the recent claim by residents that they had seen a panther.

He, however, expressed doubts about the presence of a big cat saying there had been no cattle-killing.

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Andhra Pradesh