Illegal hunting and poaching of wild animals is going on unabated in sprawling Bastar region as counting of wild animals has not been done in eight years.
Forest officers are reluctant to enter the forests as they are afraid of having an encounter with Naxals. According to sources, Naxals are forcing the villagers to hunt down wild animals for monetary gains. The Naxals have also destroyed instruments that were installed in the forest for keeping a tab on the wildlife.
Forest department has caught and jailed villagers with leopard and panther skin several times in the past two years. Field Director Indravati V Ramarao confirmed that they have come across cases of hunting of wild animals and smuggling of their skin. Maoists buy leopard and panther skins from villagers for `10,000 to `20,000 and then supply it for lakhs of rupees to the international wildlife mafias. However, police has not got any leads from the arrested villagers and therefore has failed to track the chief racket behind the killing of wild animals. The increased Naxal activites in the recent past have made sure that officers remain out of the dense forests in the belt.
“It cannot be denied that there has been a decrease in the count of wild animals in the forests here. Incidents of smuggling and poaching wild animals regularly keep coming to the fore,” said a policeman on condition of anonymity.
Denying the large-scale killing of wild animals, Bastar Superintendent of Police Ajay Yadav said only one such incident has been registered in the past few years.