The number of people hunting wild animals in the Nilgiris forest division has seen a marked increase since the beginning of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.
According to Forest department officials, Rs. 1.15 lakh in fines have been collected from 12 persons, all of whom were caught red-handed while trying to hunt wildlife in the division or with the meat of wild animals.
Forest department officials said that the majority of cases involved people trying to hunt jungle fowl, wild boar, black-naped hare and in some rare instances, sambar deer and barking deer. The incidents have all been recorded in settlements away from human habitations, where it is very difficult for forest department staff to maintain a constant vigil.
“Since April 8, seven different instances have been recorded where people have been found hunting wildlife. While none of those who were caught were arrested, strict fines have been levied, in the hopes of discouraging people from hunting,” said a top district forest official.
District Forest Officer, Nilgiris division, D. Guruswamy, said that in many instances, snares are used when attempting to trap wild animals for meat. He said that most people are laying these traps to capture wild boar, jungle fowl or black-naped hare, but these traps can pose a serious risk to a wide variety of wildlife. “Large herbivores like Sambar deer, barking deer, Indian gaur, and even carnivores like leopards and tigers, can get trapped in these snares and killed. We have seen such instances of wildlife being killed in these snares in the recent past,” said Mr. Guruswamy.
The Forest department is to step up patrolling in the coming days near to settlements bordering reserve forests. Officials said that strict fines and even arrests would be considered against offenders.
