Forest staff away, poachers hunt with snares and traps in Maharashtra

PUNE: A leopard was found trapped in an iron snare in Khairi village of Achalpur taluka in Amravati on April 25. A forest department rescue team went to the corn field where the snare had been set up and tranquilised the leopard before freeing it.
On April 23, volunteers of the Pune based Ela Foundation found a female chinkara (black buck) near Pingori, that was seriously injured after getting caught in a trap.Ornithologist Satish Pande found that her hind leg was fractured and needed to be put in plaster.
The same day, animal lovers in Daund helped forest officials remove a trap that was laid in the forest area to trap deer.
On the one hand, nature lovers are rejoicing that birds and wild animals are venturing out more because of the lockdown and the absence of human intervention, while on the other they have also noticed with concern, the increasing cases of hunting and poaching attempts.
The understaffed forest department is struggling more because attendance has been affected because of the Covid-19 scare and assignment of duty for virus containment.
“After the lockdown, not many are venturing out. Shepherds and local people who normally keep an eye on illegal activities in the forest areas are staying home so hunters and poachers are taking advantage. We are getting information about traps and injured wildlife almost daily from western Maharashtra, Konkan, Thane and closer home from Purandar, Baramati, Indapur, Daund and Mulshi,” ornithologist and radiologist Satish Pande, director of Ela Foundation, said.
The female chinkara rescued on Thursday had been trapped in a snare as evident from the nature of injuries. “An X-ray revealed a fractured hind leg. Her wounds were cleaned, she was put on a drip and antibiotics. She is on the mend now. She is pregnant and may deliver any time,” he added.
Volunteers at Ela Foundation also rescued an owl the same day, again injured by a trap. “The owl had fought hard to untangle itself, so much so that the flesh and tendons of one its claw had been ripped out. The nature of injuries clearly indicated an attempt at poaching. We are treating the owl at Ela habitat,” Pande said.
The snares and traps were almost fool-proof which made escape impossible. Poachers also keep dogs which chase these animals towards the traps, Pande said adding that the increasing population of stray dogs in forest areas is a concern.
Omkar Sumant, an animal lover and physician who has a clinic in Jejuri, confirmed that poaching and hunting activities are up since the lockdown.
“There are hardly any people on the roads, there is no movement of shepherds in the forests and hills so there is no check on illegal activities. But some people do give tip-offs to local doctors like us,” he said.
Both Pande and Sumant said their volunteers have been regularly removing traps and handing them over to the local forest department officials.
A note sent by a forest department official from Padgha forest area in Bhiwandi taluka said shortage of meat and fish during the lockdown has translated into increasing poaching and hunting.
“Hunters are taking help from local tribal people to lay traps to hunt peacocks, rabbits, wild boar, barking deer, civet and Lavari. Sometimes, they set small patches on fire to expose animals,” he said,in the note, adding that two hunters were recently nabbed in the Padgha forest area and were in their custody.
The official stated that it was becoming increasingly difficult to control such activities because limited staff members are reporting for duty.
Vivek Khandekar, chief conservator of forest, Pune division said there is no change in the number of hunting cases being reported in various parts of Pune division after the lockdown.
“I have personally visited some places and found that hunting had occurred only in a few places. Forest department employees and officers patrol only forest land and not other areas. We appeal to people to inform about illegal hunting incidents on the international toll free number 1926 and if anyone has videos, they should send them to us on ccfteampune@gmail.com.”
A senior official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “ Some employees have been given duties of Covid-19 preventive work, but it has no major impact on the working of the forest department.”
(With inputs from Siddharth Gaikwad)