BENGALURU: With the judicial custody of the 11 sambar poachers ending on January 28, the Forest Department is hoping to seek their custody again from the Tarikere JMFC court so as to conclude the investigations. The bail pleas of the accused are also likely to be heard by the court on Saturday.
The investigation into the case so far has revealed that the network of poachers also has Sambar deer, Spotted deer, Gaur, Barking deer and Mouse deer, all prey of the big cats, in their sights.
According to sources, the main accused and shooter Rafiq Ahmed is still absconding. The Chikkmagaluru police, in coordination with the Forest Department, are tracking Rafiq Ahmed and trying to uncover his widespread poaching activities.
Sources added, “The probe has revealed organised hunting in and around Chikkamagaluru. These hunters came several times to hunt wild animals in the protected areas of Mullayyanagiri, Kemmanagundi, Nettichowka Road, Attigundi, Mahal villages adjacent to Bhadra Tiger Reserve. They have hunted so many animals in the last few years in the hilly regions that it is not surprising that predators like tigers and leopards are having a tough time finding prey and are therefore entering villages, resulting in unnecessary conflicts as recently seen.”
The huge demand for halal meat in Bengaluru and Mysuru pushed the hunters to become big-time poachers. Sources explained, “They come fully prepared with sophisticated equipment -- fully loaded guns and extra ammunition for their hunting expeditions. They arrive in a fleet of big vehicles and run their operations from Najma coffee estate. Each hunt involves killing multiple animals -- more than three to four protected species. The work of the sharpshooter is to shoot the animals to wound them.
The others chase the animal and cut the neck to complete the halal. After this, they take pictures of the halal to record this for the buyers. These photos are shown to buyers in Shivajinagar, Frazer Town and Richmond Town and some other areas of Bengaluru as their regular customers demand it. The meat of Sambar and other species is sold for a whopping `1,200-2,000 per kg.”
In every hunting expedition, the poachers kill 4-5 animals thereby getting 500-600 kg of meat. The group comprises professionals in cutting the meat, cleaning the skin and packaging it.
“Hunting is our life and we have contacts in other states too for our work,” they have reportedly told the investigating team.
Wildlife activists from Chikkamagaluru said it is not surprising that the tiger species are now frequenting the villages due to lack of prey, resulting in a conflict situation. The hilly regions here are the main tiger habitat and for years, these people have been depleting the big cats’ food.
“This is a very serious threat to the survival of wildlife in this area. Hunters networking with other hunters is very serious and investigations by the state government are necessary. With the recent blackbuck poaching case in Kolar, it seems hunting activity has become rampant and it is high time strict punishment is given to these offenders.”
