After the notorious tiger poacher Priya Bawaria’s son and brother were nabbed by Corbett Tiger Reserve authorities on May 8, the Forest Department is on the alert against Priya who is out on bail and wanted for various tiger poaching cases in Corbett and elsewhere.
According to the additional principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife) SK Dutt, after Priya’s son Satveer and brother Jhalle Ram were nabbed by the department, interrogation and investigation has revealed that Priya had poached two tigers in Ramnagar forest division’s Kosi range in 2012. “Priya is presently out on bail and though he is a resident of Haryana, we are on the alert in case he is present in Uttarakhand for poaching big cats,” he said.
It will be recalled that Satveer and Jhalle Ram had been nabbed by the Corbett staff on May 8 based on intelligence about four men roaming around suspiciously in the jungles. Four persons were spotted and then chased in Jhirna range of Corbett.
While Satveer and Jhalle Ram were nabbed by the department staff, their two known accomplices had managed to escape. The department had found one gin trap, a chain and knives from the duo and later on based on information revealed by them, three traps were uncovered from Ramnagar division where they had been hidden in the past.
It is worth mentioning here that at least three tiger deaths have been reported in Uttarakhand this year. While some activists point out that this figure is less than the number of tiger deaths during the corresponding period last year, other activists opine that the actual number of tiger fatalities could be much higher due to the failure of the department to find tiger carcasses.
The presence of notorious Bawaria poachers in Uttarakhand is a cause for concern as activists point out that factors that prevent the Forest Department from functioning efficiently against wildlife crime are being exploited by big cat poachers.