Frail security of the protected forests in Chhattisgarh was once again exposed as a joint team of Police and Forest Department recovered four leopard hides with the arrest of 7 smugglers near village Karli of Gidam in Dantewada district on Friday. The incapability of officers’ in-charge of protected forests reflects from the facts that 20 tiger hides have been recovered in Chhattisgarh in past 10 years and 50 leopard hides from 2014 to 2018.

 

 

Chhattisgarh forests have become unsafe for the wild animals as poachers running rampant, targeting endangered wild animals such as tiger and leopard with impunity. So many cases of recovery of animal body organs such as hides, bones, teeth or even elephant tusks have been recorded in the recent past. The recovery on the same day when Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel boasted of giving Forest Rights Certificates on thousands of acres of forest lands despite the depleting green cover.

 

A leopard hide, bones, teeth and whisker strands was seized from Pendri Transport area in Rajnandgaon on January 31, 2018, another leopard hide was seized from a nearby region Ambagarh Chowki on February 6, 2018, one leopard hide seized at village Tultuli of Kanker on March 10, 2018, two leopard hides at Dudhawa bus stand at Kanker on March 10, 2018, tiger hide at Kulhadghat of Kanker on April 21, 2016, and another tiger hide at Manpuri of South Kondgaon, Kanker Forest Division to name but a few. Altogether, 20 tiger hides have been recovered in

Chhattisgarh in past 10 years and 50 leopard hides from 2014 to 2018.

 

Security of the extremely rich and bio-diverse forests of Bijapur, West Bhanupratappur, Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Indrawati Tiger Reserve Chhattisgarh is left on the shoulders of Sub-Divisional Officers (SDO) despite many Indian Forest Service (IFS).

 

Recently, Forest Department was stirred a controversy with the replacement of a suspended Katghora Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) with giving additional charge to Janjgir-Champa after the death of an elephant. The appointment came despite having over a dozen IFS officers waiting in queue.

 

Another crucial reason for unabated poaching is the lack of legal teeth. Not a single smuggler or poacher has been sentenced despite so many caught and released within a couple of days on bail. The Department just couldn’t build a slid case against poachers/smugglers even as hunting an animal listed in Schedule-I of Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972. These poachers/smugglers go back to old ways immediately on being released.

Forest Department needs to appoint special legal team at Headquarter level, which can deal with such cases in a more robust manner so that the poachers and smugglers won’t get any leeway.