The anti-poaching cell of the State Forest department has issued an alert warning following reports of notorious Bawaria poachers camping in parts of Uttar Pradesh bordering the jungles of Uttarakhand. Poachers often enter the forests of Corbett tiger reserve, Rajaji National Park and other protected areas from Uttar Pradesh to poach big cats in Uttarakhand.
In addition to the areas bordering UP, the department is also increasing vigilance in the areas bordering Nepal following information about a poacher presently in Nepal planning to target tigers in Uttarakhand.
Talking to The Pioneer, the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Administration and Intelligence, SK Dutt who is also the anti-poaching cell director, said that information had been received about notorious Bawaria poachers arriving in the forests of Uttar Pradesh bordering tiger range areas in Uttarakhand. “We are coordinating with our counterparts in UP apart from which our staff in Corbett, Rajaji along with Haridwar, Kalagarh and lansdowne forest divisions has also been put on alert. I have been visiting suspected sites in Najibabad-Bijnor in UP to monitor the situation as we have received information that Bawaria poachers involved in tiger poaching in the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra have now arrived here and have already divided areas like Corbett and Rajaji among themselves. We have also received information that another notorious Bawaria poacher Tota Ram who had fled to Nepal is looking to become active in Uttarakhand so we will increase vigilance in Tanakpur and other areas of the State bordering Nepal,” he said.
However, wildlife activists pointed out that regular patrolling was necessary for long term protection of wildlife instead of issuing alerts on the basis of information about poachers. Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) Uttarakhand head Rajendra Agrawal said that poachers frequently entered Uttarakhand from various points in neighbouring UP. “The department should regularise coordination with UP Forest department and ensure regular patrolling especially in such areas. Apart from this, the department also needs to keep a tab on at least the notorious poachers who are out on bail. Balku and Priya Bawaria are out on bail along with other notorious poachers but the authorities have not kept a tab on them. Keeping an eye on the whereabouts of such criminals out on bail would also help improve wildlife protection,” he added.