Baripada: Repeated poaching of wild animals and the menace of timber mafia in the Similipal sanctuary, the second largest biosphere reserve in Asia, has triggered concern among environmentalists and wildlife activists. The recent case of elephant poaching by hunters and the subsequent burning of its carcass by some forest officials in the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) to hide the crime has raised question marks on the safety of animals.
Three forest officials have been suspended and arrested in this connection. What is alarming is that forest officials seized a Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) hide from a person just a few days after the burning of the jumbo carcass. It was alleged that the Forest department is not serious about the safety of wild animals while wildlife activists also alleged that funds being provided for the protection of the wild animals are misappropriated.
Reports said the state and Central governments have been providing crores of rupees to check to poach and ensure the safety of wildlife in Similipal. Funds are being allocated to the Forest department to pay some amounts as remuneration to informers who keep a close watch on the movement of poachers and hunters in the area. The names of the informers are kept confidential. They are on the watch at markets and other crowded places and gather intelligence inputs about the potential poachers and their activities. Forest officials get advance information from these informers and prevent the poachers from carrying out their evil designs in the sanctuary.
On the other hand, lighting facilities and the movement of vehicles are prohibited in the STR area so as to maintain a tranquil atmosphere for the undisturbed movement of tigers and other wild animals. But the beat house inside the STR is an exception. Cell phones and TV sets are run in the beat house with the help of solar power. Light forces tigers and other animals to divert their ways, thus leaving them prone to danger. While straying off their usual routes due to lighting, tigers and elephants often fall prey to poachers. Another problem is that some CCTVs in the core area have been stolen by poachers making it difficult for forest officials to monitor the wild animals’ movement.
In cases of CCTV theft, the department files a complaint or two and keeps quiet. Poachers are taking advantage of such lapses. “In the past, forest officials have arrested poachers and seized guns from them. But there is no investigation to determine how and where the poachers get guns. There is a dire need for applying a stringent Arms Act against gun users (poachers). If poaching is not contained, a day will come when the sanctuary will be bereft of wild animals. The existence of Similipal will be confined only to hills and rocks,” lamented Bhanumitra Acharya, former honorary wildlife warden.
