Dhenkanal: A large number of wild animals in the reserve forests of Dhenkanal district are falling prey to the rampant illegal poaching and hunting activities incited by the lack of forest officials. The vast forest covers in the district remain unguarded due to lack of employees in the department.
The handful of existing staff is not capable to successfully guard the vast forest covers including core forest areas in the district. Even as sporadic raids are being conducted, hunters manage to give slip to the raiding teams.
Elephants, of all the animals, are being prioritised by the poachers and hunters, giving sleepless nights to the forest officials.
Out of eight forest ranges in the district, ranges like Kapilash, Sadangi and Hindol have become the dens of such thieves. The Kandhara reserve forest bordering Badamba, Cuttack, Athagarh and Narasinghpur under Hindol range are the worst hit areas.
Patrolling has reduced in Kapilash range as the post of ranger has been vacant for several months. As many as 100 hunters have been arrested following raids and over 50 illegal firearms have been seized in a year. Out of them, 40 arrests and 25 firearms were from Kapilash alone.
Apart from this, the Special Task Force (STF) of state Crime Branch has seized as many as nine firearms and arrested two wildlife criminals from Bhapur forest area during the same period, which ascertained during a detailed probe that illegal firearms were being used for poaching.
STF had raided a place about one-and-half years ago, when poachers had shot down an elephant for its tusk. No criminal has been arrested in this connection so far.
The wildlife criminals have been mainly targeting herbivores like wild boar, deer, barking deer and sambhar. At times, the animals are being trapped and electrocuted as well for hides and meat.
Contacted, Kapilash Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Prakash Chand Gogineni said, “Patrolling has been intensified in the reserve forests of Dhenkanal to curb illegal activities. A watch tower has also been erected at Kandhara reserve forest.”
Armed forest personnel are guarding the areas 24×7. Arrangements are also being made to appoint a permanent ranger in Kapilash range, the DFO informed.