Javadekar hails forest officials for nabbing five poachers in Kodagu

Benagaluru: Union Minister of Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar and Karnataka Forest Minister Anand Singh lauded the efforts of the forest officials in Kodugu in nabbing five poachers who had shot dead a male tiger at Nagaraole Tiger Reserve as reported in The Hans India.

The five poachers mutilated the tiger and decamped with its claws and canines. Taking to his Twitter handle, Prakash Javadekar said, "Well done, Forest staff & officers of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve for nabbing all the culprits responsible for poaching the Tiger, in such quick time," Javadekar.

He expressed anguish over rising cases of poaching incidents, while urging the officials to involve local people in its surveillance efforts to check the menace.

Karnataka Forest Minister Anand Singh too took to his Twitter. "This is a warning bell for poachers. The government is committed to control poachers, increasing the number of animals, and bringing down man-tiger conflicts. We have a responsibility to hand over beautiful wildlife to our future generations," Singh tweeted.

He appreciated the efforts of the forest officials in arresting the five accused, including Santosh, Sashi, Sharanu, Ranjit and Raju. As reported in The Hans India (September 5), the hunters and poachers used a licensed double barrel to shoot at a 'big cat' in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.

Three of the arrested, including Santosh, Sashi and Ranjit are from wealthy families who own coffee estates. According to sources, the coffee estate owners are poaching and hunting the wild animals with the help of locals. Among the five arrested, Raju was a casual labourer.

The accused used sharp knives, used in meat shops, to cut the tiger's canines as they are strong, a forest official told The Hans India. The accused did not deskin the tiger but decamped with the big cat's nails and canines. The forest officials recovered 13 claws and two canines.

The accused, who live in areas abutting the national park in Kodagu, shared the tiger nails between them after chopping off its paws.

Cases were booked against the accused under the WildlifeProtection Act on charges of hunting, collection of animal parts, illegallyentering a national park and using firearms.