Elephant poached in Buxa, poison pellet in chest

TNN | Apr 8, 2013
KOLKATA: A full-grown tusker was poached in North Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve late on Saturday. This is the second such incident in the forest in a span of little over a month.

Forest guards recovered the carcass of the 25-year-old elephant from the South Raidhak range, with its tusks missing. BTR field director R P Saini said a poison-coated pellet, fired from a country-made gun, pierced through its chest. "Probably, gangs from the northeast are involved in the poaching," he added.

Chief wildlife warden N C Bahuguna, who has left for the spot, said that such pellets are used to shoo away elephants when they come close to human settlements. "Since a poison-coated pellet has been found, chances of poaching are definitely strong. Further details can only be given after a proper inquiry," he said.

On February 28, an elephant was killed in a similar manner in the Panibari range of Buxa forest.

In June, last year, some miscreants took out the tusks of a jumbo after it succumbed to its ailments at the Khuttimari forest in North Bengal. The tusks were later recovered from a water body near Khuklung forest village, about 1.5 kilometres from the spot where the tusker was found dead.

The tusks were kept in a container and drowned in a waterbody, so that the department officials could not find it. While one tusk weighed around 23 kilos, the other was 20 kilos heavy.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Elephant-poached-in-Buxa-poison-pellet-in-chest/articleshow/19436200.cms

Wanted poacher caught with 60 live birds

Express news service : Ahmedabad, Tue Apr 09 2013
Forest officials at Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary have caught a poacher and his associate red-handed with 60 live birds (their wings and legs broken) after four failed attempts over the past three months.

Khadar Imas (42) and his associate Mohammed (28) were caught by forest staff near Ranagadh village inside the state's largest protected wetland Sunday night.

The duo, residents of Jambu village in Limbdi taluka, were on a motorcycle and had with them 56 coots, two ducks and two teals in sacks, according to Dr K Sasikumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Nalsarovar Wildlife Division, Sanand.

They were interrogated through the night and charged with cognisable offences under the Wildlife Protection Act when they were produced before a Limbdi court on Monday, which granted the department a seven-day remand.

"We had long suspected Imas of poaching and trading birds from the sanctuary and have been tracking him for three months. There were at least four close encounters but he escaped each time. We finally caught him Sunday night inside the sanctuary," said Sasikumar.

The officer said the apprehended man is suspected to have been involved in such wildlife trade for more than a decade, and that his close relative is suspected to have also been in the illegal trade but was never caught.

"Initial interrogation has revealed Imas was selling these birds to locals as well as to some people in Ahmedabad for consumption. We will get more details after further questioning," he said.

Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/wanted-poacher-caught-with-60-live-birds/1099697/

Elephants enter Bhavanisagar town

STAFF REPORTER | ERODE, April 9, 2013
As most of the waterholes and ponds in the Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary have gone dry in summer, elephants are coming out of the forests in large numbers, looking for water and food.

On Sunday morning, a herd of elephants strayed out from the reserve forests and entered Bhavanisagar town after raiding crops and quenching their thirst at Lower Bhavani Project canal. The herd comprising five elephants entered the Bhavanisagar Dam park before roaming around various parts of the town. Residents alerted forest personnel, who rushed to the spot and initiated steps to drive the elephants back into the forests. It took more than three hours for the personnel and people in the area to send the jumbos back into the jungle.

The district has been witnessing similar incidents for the past few months as most of the water sources in the forests have gone dry following the monsoon failure. It has become very common to spot elephants raiding the crops in Bhavanisagar, Punjai Puliyampatti, TN Palayam and Anthiyur blocks. An adult elephant requires at least 200 to 250 kg of food and 100 to 150 litres of water a day. Once the elephants come out of their habitat and get used to the food crops, it becomes a habit to them.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/elephants-enter-bhavanisagar-town/article4597161.ece