ALWAR: Recurring incidents of poachers infiltrating into Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) have set alarm bells ringing for the forest department. The forest rangers have nabbed eight poachers in the span of last three months, raising fears of growing menace of organised poaching gangs in the tiger reserve.
In 2005, the entire tiger population of STR was eliminated by poachers, prompting government to take drastic measures including rehabilitations of villagers and arming forest rangers. But all these promises seem to be paper tigers as forest rangers are pitted against poachers who are armed with automatic weapons.
"Even on Saturday late night around eight poachers, armed with weapons and ammunition managed to sneak into STR. We have started combing operation but we are yet to find their whereabouts," a senior official told TOI.
Sources told TOI that anti-poaching operations are severely affected, by the lack of resources and manpower. "Forest rangers take on gangs with sticks, they don't even have batteries and proper torch lights to carry out night operations," an official said.
The officials also lament the fact that each check post has only three guards and they have to manage an area spanning across 10 kilometres. While the forest rangers are keeping a tight vigil across STR with the help of informers, the spike in poaching attempts are worrying the senior officials of STR.
R S Shekhawat, Sariska field director, told TOI that during winter, poaching incidents increase. "We have increased our patrolling, especially near villages so that poachers cannot not pose as villagers and threaten wildlife," he added.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has been able to rehabilitate only three villages out of tiger reserve in the last nine years. "There is fear that poachers are using these villages to enter forest areas populated by tigers. We need a dedicated armed unit to take on the menace of poachers," added the forest official.
