Indian Forest laws poaching-friendly?

poaching on the rise in india 246
Wildlife is under serious threat, that too, from man. Man is increasingly being a threat to the creatures and has a big hand in making them extinct. Poaching of wildlife shows no sign to budge. And with the ever-increasing hunt for animals, the list of endangered creatures is all the time on the rise.

Recent times have reported a spurt in poaching activity in the so-called guarded forests and biosphere reserves, which are meant to be home for the wild creatures. Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Orissa reported killing of several creatures in March this year. Four poachers were caught red-handed inside the reserve area following the incident. But shockingly, they soon found themselves moving scot-free, as the local court found lack of evidence against them.

However, the forest officials seized a gun, meat and heads of a mouse deer and a barking deer from their possession.

N. K. Biswal, Range Officer, Katipada, said:

At the spot, we seized a single barrel gun, cartridges, torchlight, animal meat and heads. They were charged under penal section 51 Para 2, which is a non-bailable offence and I have mentioned it in the case records.

Mahadev Das, Public Prosecutor, Udala, said:

The accused persons were not specifically charged under a particular offence, but were charged as a group. The negligence in the investigation in the preliminary stage could not satisfy the honourable court,

Even the veterinary doctor, Sarat K Patra, who was asked to conduct a post mortem of the seized meat, says the material given to him was not identifiable.

He said:

The quantity of flesh was too little for proper identification. Even the animal head they gave me was charred beyond recognition.

Such a serious lapse in both investigation and prosecution is too glaring to be overlooked. But strangely, the head of the forest division is simply speculating over what went wrong and at which level.

The innocent creatures are hunted for their skin, horns, teeth and smuggled for easy money.

The Simplipal incident is not the first and it is not going to be the last. This incident very clearly puts the forest department under scanner and scoffs at the wildlife laws in the country. Stringent laws are of no use if those responsible for the dwindling numbers of the forest creatures are not brought to justice.

This puts every wise man questioning, is our system really poaching-friendly?

Image

Via: Ndtv

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top