Forest Department takes up de-snaring operation in Tipeshwar
| Date :07-Jun-2019 |
By Ramesh Marulkar;
Taking serious cognisance of increasing number of cases of tigers and other wild animals getting trapped in wire snares and dying or getting injured in and around Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary of Yavatmal district, the Forest Department has now launched a de-snaring operation. The Department issued an advertisement in a local newspaper appealing interested volunteers to participate in the operation. As many as 50 wildlife lovers responded and the Department started the operation on Wednesday with 20 volunteers to collect/seize wire snares, clutch wires, nylon ropes, traps etc laid by poachers. The poachers and others lay down such traps to capture herbivores like spotted deer, sambar, blue bull, rabbit etc for their flesh. But at times tigers and other bigger wild animals also get entangled into the traps and get injured or even die. This was disclosed by Sunil Limaye, Additional PrincipalChief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), East, Nagpur, while talking to ‘The Hitavada’ on Thursday.
He said that the volunteers were allotted to sub-groups led by Range Forest Officer, Round Officer or Forest Guard. The operation is being launched in the jungle with villages situated within five kilometers from the fringe area of Tipeshwar Sanctuary. The teams searched over a dozen wire snares, nylon rope and traps near Tembhi, Sunna, Bahathar and Sushri villages around Tipeshwar and collected 14 snares like nylon rope, wires and clutch wires on the opening day of the operation, he added. Along with this the forestmen and volunteers will undertake awareness programmes in villages about registration of offence, severe punishment, ill-effects of such act etc.
The team members would arrest any person if found laying a trap in jungle and initiate legal action, Limaye pointed out. The operation is being launched jointly by Wildlife Wing and Pandharkawda Territorial Division for combing the jungle for snares because the cases are occurring in protected and territorial forests. Volunteers are being provided with ID cards which will be in the custody of forestmen. Also, the best team and best volunteer will be awarded suitably on Independence Day. Now, this search operation will be conducted continuously. The Department is forming a committee comprising Divisional Forest Officer, Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Sarpanch and Police Patil for the purpose.
It may be mentioned here that T1-C3 tiger had sustained injuries when trapped in wire snares in Tipeshwar Sanctuary on May 29. A team of forestmen and veterinarians located the tiger on June 1 and treated it. Later, the tiger was released in its natural habitat. Another tigress was found with wire around her neck a couple of months back in Pandharkawda’s jungle. In fact, the tigress was moving with snares around her neck for a long time, fighting the pain. She had moved towards Telangana jungle and then came back to her original place. Forestmen captured this tigress but when veterinarians were treating her she breathed her last. It may be noted that cases of capturing herbivores by way of snares/traps are common in Pandharkawda Forest Division.