NASHIK: The Nashik West division of the district forest department arrested four poachers at 2am on Tuesday near the forest area in the Trimbakeshwar taluka.
Range forest officer Vivek Bhadane said these poachers had put up nets at various strategic points in the forest area, near Wadholi village, to trap small animals and birds.
“Our team seized eight nets, 31 wooden batons and a few sharp-edged weapons like sickles from the poachers. Our concern is that these poachers were on the prowl to trap small animals like rabbits and birds like peacocks, either for consumption or for sale. We will interrogate them to ascertain their network and other details like their modus operandi,” added Bhadane.
The four arrested poachers are locals of the Nashik district. They were produced in the court, which remanded them to four days of forest department custody.
According to Bhadane poaching of small animals and birds is equally dangerous as poaching of big animals like leopards. The poaching of such small animals and birds in the forest area has a detrimental effect on the food cycle in the forest.
“These small animals serve as food for the bigger ones. If the population of the small animals dwindles in the forest, bigger animals like leopards would stray in pockets with human habitation leading to man-animal conflict. There is an imperative need to ensure that there is no poaching of any animal,” stressed the forest official.
The Nashik West division of the district forest department has stepped up its vigilance within their jurisdiction, especially in talukas like Igatpuri and Trimbakeshwar and forest patrolling teams, after a team from the Thane district forest department arrested some poachers with leopard skins from the Igatpuri area of rural Nashik about two months back.
