Chandrapur: Vigilance wing of forest department with the help of foresters of Sindewahi range and NGO Eco-Pro have busted a nexus of farmers involved in poaching of wild animals by electrifying their farm fences in fringe forests of Rantapur in Sindewahi range. Three farmers including a ZillaParishad member of the area have been arrested under poaching charges.
The vigilance wing of forest department had a tip-off about bunch of farmers involved in poaching of herbivores by electrifying their farm fences near Ratnapur forests. Accordingly forest staffers trained in spying with the help of local volunteers of NGO Eco-Pro carried out the reconnaissance of the area for two days. During wee hours of Wednesday DFO (vigilance), Rajiv Pawar led the raiding team in the area. We recovered GI wire and service wire used for electrifying the fence illegally from the farm of farmer Ashok Lodhe. While the seizure from Lodhes farm was underway, our staffer smelled the foul stench coming from a mound in adjacent forest. When earthen mound in compartment no. 1215 was dug, three carcass of Indian Gaur and one other of Blue Bull were recovered, said DFO Pawar. RFO, VB Kambli with his staffers, volunteers of Eco-Pro organization from Mul and two staffers of MSEDCL took part in operation.
Pawar further informed that livestock development officer from Sindewahi carried out the post-mortem and confirmed their death due to electrocution. Two more accused including RamakantLodhe and Harihar Borkar having their farms in vicinity were booked for poaching of these animals. He maintained dead bodies of all four wild animals were around 15-20 days old. Samples of the all four carcasses have been sent to Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad for analysis. RFO Kambli arrested all three accused on Thursday and booked them under relevant section of Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The accused RamakantLodhe is local ZillaParishad member from Ratnapur-Shivni area. All three accused were produced before Sindhewahi Court on Thursday and were remanded to Forest Custody till Friday.
Four major instances of poaching with the help of electrified fences have come to fore in Chandrapur district during last one month. Two Indian Guar were found electrocuted in Chichpalli range on April 24. Radio collared tiger Shriniwas was also killed by similar electrocution in Nagbhid range and its carcass was discovered on April 27. Yet another poaching of two Indian Gaurs by farmer in Saoli range was busted on May 5.
