DEHRADUN: A day after the special task force (STF) of Uttarakhand police seized the skins of five big cats from a gang of poachers, a red alert was issued in the entire Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR). It also emerged that the state forest department, which went into a huddle soon after what was being called as "the biggest seizures", had prior information about Bawaria gang operating in CTR.
"We had provided specific intelligence inputs to both forest department and STF. We also took the police team to the spot where the Bawaria gang was hiding," Tito Joseph, program manager of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), said.
Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) DVS Khati admitted that the forest department had information about the Bawaria gang and its operations in Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand principal chief conservator of forests Rajender Kumar Mahajan too expressed deep concern over the recent unprecedented incidents of poaching in the state.
"While the police has gained expertise in dealing with such cases, the forest department hasn't. The department has somehow confined itself to forestry and conservation works. Wildlife protection is equally important. Forest department staff must be trained to deal with this issue," said Joseph.
Meanwhile, CTR deputy director SaketBadola told TOI that a red alert had been issued and that patrolling has been intensified. "Special teams have also be deployed at sensitive spots," he said.
Since 2012, 50 tiger deaths have been reported from CTR, out of which 13 big cats were killed by poachers. In December last year, three men were arrested with tiger skin in Nainital district. The arrest had raised questions about vigilance and anti-poaching activities of forest department, apart from the functioning of its intelligence network.
