The arrest of two members of the notorious tiger poacher Bhima Bawaria's gang in lansdowne forest division on Friday has set the alarm bells ringing in the State.
With four members of notorious Bawaria gangs being nabbed by the authorities this month alone, wildlife activists point out that Bawarias and other poachers are targeting the big cats in Uttarakhand since stringent wildlife protection measures taken in other States have made it difficult for them to poach tigers in other States.
Earlier on May 8, Satveer and Jhalle Ram, the son and brother respectively of notorious tiger poacher Priya Bawaria, were nabbed by Corbett Tiger Reserve staff with steel traps and other items. On Friday, two members of the Bhima Bawaria gang were nabbed by department staff in the lansdowne forest division, though the notorious Bhima himself managed to give the slip to the department staff. The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) Uttarakhand in-charge Rajendra Agrawal said that with the State Forest Departments of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan taking effective and stringent measures to improve wildlife security in these States, the Bawaria poachers are considering the big cats in Uttarakhand soft targets. "The Bawaria gangs are trying to poach tigers in the Corbett landscape.
The Special Tiger Protection Force should be formed without any further delay and the bulk of its personnel and resources should be deployed along the southern boundary of Corbett because it is from this area which borders neighbouring Uttar Pradesh that poachers and other wildlife criminals prefer to intrude into Corbett. The department should start maintaining a register of relevant data on all known poachers to further enhance the protection of wildlife," he said, while stressing on the need for strengthening the level of wildlife security in the State.
The additional principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) and director of the State anti-poaching cell, SK Dutt said that the department has increased the level of alert against poachers. Apart from questioning of the nabbed poachers, efforts are also being made to trace other poachers, he added.