Poaching continues in Hanur Range despite Aug. 15 encounter with alleged poachers

Chamarajanagar: Poachers appear to be undeterred by the law despite three suspected poachers being killed in an exchange of fire with Forest Department personnel in the Holemuridatti beat of Chikkalluru Reserved Forest under the Hanur Wildlife Range in the early hours of Aug. 15.

Barely a fortnight later, on Tuesday (Sept. 1), a Sambar deer was shot, killed and chopped into three pieces in the Hanur Wildlife Division of Chamarajanagar district.

On the night of Sept. 1, Forest officials and staff of the Hanur Wildlife Division, while patrolling near the Uduthorehalla Reservoir Gate, spotted four suspected poachers carrying guns and sacks on their heads in the Uduthorehalla Backwaters area. On seeing the Forest staff, the four dropped the sacks and fled into the darkness.

The Forest Department personnel rushed to the spot and opened the sacks, only to find the carcass of a Sambar deer chopped into three pieces and packed in them.

On examination, the officials found that the animal had been shot with a country-made gun. Its neck had been slit and the carcass chopped into three pieces and packed into three sacks.

The Sambar deer is protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.

A wildlife crime report has been registered against the unidentified poachers. A Dog Squad has also been pressed into service to trace them and the investigation is underway.

In-charge Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Viraj Shrikanth Hosur, Range Forest Officer (RFO) H.N. Mahesh, Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) S.B. Nandish and other staff took part in the operation and seized the deer meat.