Yet to register cases after ivory hunters nabbed by Kerala confess to killing dozens
Tuskers in the Western Ghats forests are facing the biggest threat since Veerappan’s men almost permanently changed the elephant sex ratio two decades ago. Ivory hunters arrested by the Kerala forest department have confessed to mass poaching of elephants — 33 confirmed killings and an estimated toll of 80-100 in the last 18 months — in the state and the adjoining forests of Tamil Nadu. While the gangs are still active, the Tamil Nadu forest department is yet to initiate action or even accept that any elephant was poached in the state.
Five smugglers and poachers arrested by the Kerala FD and the anti-Naxal division of Tamil Nadu police last month admitted that their gang killed at least 15 elephants in Tamil Nadu’s Ooty, Coimbatore and Meghmalai forests and traded more than 200 kg of ivory in the last 18 months. At least another two gangs are believed to be operating in the forests of Tamil Nadu and together took out an estimated 35-45 elephants in that period. Kerala also took a severe blow with 18 confirmed poaching and an estimated loss of 45-55 elephants.
It is a shocking toll compared even to the two dark decades (1975-1995) when up to 2000 elephants, mostly tuskers, were poached in the southern forests. The populations and the sex ratio recovered since with more than 6000 elephants now in Kerala and about 4000 in Tamil Nadu.
On October 17, the deputy director of Kerala’s Periyar Tiger reserve wrote to forest bosses in Ooty North, Meghmalai and Sathyamangalam and Anamalai tiger reserves, sharing details of the poachers’ confessions and requesting them to register cases for follow-up action. A month later, the Tamil Nadu forest department is yet to respond or join the probe.
“We wrote to them (Tamil Nadu officials) last month. They have not replied. I am not sure if they took any action,” said John Mathew, deputy director, Periyar East division. For the record, Meghmalai registered the only elephant poaching case in Tamil Nadu last week, only after all the accused got conditional bail in Kerala.
“I understand the gravity of the situation and registered a case on November 9. Kerala’s Periyar forests are adjacent to Meghmalai and the staff are coordinating. I cannot comment on why the other affected divisions (in Tamil Nadu) are not interested in registering cases,” said Kaja Moitheen, range officer, Meghmalai. Dr VK Melkani, Tamil Nadu’s chief wildlife warden did not respond to repeated phone calls and text messages.
“We are trying our best to prevent further damage. Karnataka is also probing the recent elephant killings in the state. But Tamil Nadu officials are not even accepting that their elephants are being poached. We don’t want an inter-state controversy but they should obtain provisional warrants, take custody of all the accused and take them to recover remains of recently poached elephants — like we found eight carcasses in Kerala — as evidence to strengthen the cases,” said a senior forest official in Trivandrum.
Since 2012, Kerala has seized more than 100kg of ivory, indicating an upsurge in the trade. This May, forest officials were tipped off by a gang member about rampant elephant poaching in the region. Having made more than two dozen arrests in the state since July, the Kerala officials followed leads to make four arrests — middleman Babu, and poachers Nagoya, Singam and Kubendran — from Theni in Tamil Nadu last month. In all, 25 muzzle-loading guns custom-made for big game were seized.
The poachers confessed to hunting at least 15 elephants in the forests of Kothagiri (Ooty), Kallar (Manampally range of Anamalai tiger reserve), Bhavani (Sathyamangalam tiger reserve) and Kadamalai Kundu (Meghmalai). Among two other gangs in operation in the Tamil Nadu forests, they said, the more prolific is the one led by Vanaraja. Tamil Nadu forest staff from the affected areas visited Kerala and were briefed about the interrogation. Soon after, the Kerala investigating team wrote to them.
Earlier, one of the leads brought the Kerala FD to Delhi where, along with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Delhi Police, it arrested ivory trader Umesh Aggrawal on October 2 and seized 487 kgs of ivory in an undercover operation on October 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment