2 poachers held with deer meat in Bhitarkanika

Kendrapada: Forest officials seized 10 kg of spotted deer meat from two arrested poachers at Sasanapeta Protected Reserve Forest within the forest range of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary of Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district on Saturday morning. “Acting on a tip-off, we searched the house of a poacher and seized 10 kg meat of spotted deer, a sharp weapon and four traps and arrested Uttam Kamila (48) and his nephew Ramakrushna Kamila (30),” said forest range officer of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, Kapilendra Pradhan. Both arrested men were booked under sections 9, 27, 29 and 35 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. They confessed during interrogation that they killed a spotted deer in the forest on Friday night after trapping it. “They were planning to sell the venison at the nearby market when both were arrested,” added the forest officer.On Saturday, the duo was produced in the court at Kendrapada. “The court rejected his bail application and remanded him in judicial custody,” added the forest officer. “The poachers often trap wild boars and spotted animals by spreading nylon ropes in the mangrove forest and its nearby areas and kill the animals. Some poachers also use trained dogs to kill the animals. The large population of deer and wild boars are not getting sufficient fodder and water inside the park areas in this summer for which the animals stray into the nearby village fields and water bodies to quench their thirst for which the poachers easily kill them,” said Hemant Rout, an environmentalist and secretary of Gahirmatha Marine Turtle and Mangrove Conservation Society of Rajnagar.