Animals poisoned at IIFM

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Hindustan Times

May 24, 2006 Wednesday 10:30 AM EST

 

Animals poisoned at IIFM

 

Manish Dixit Hindustan Times

 

NEW DELHI, India

 

 

NEW DELHI, India, May 24 -- INDIAN INSTITUTE of Forest Management

(IIFM) director has been served a 14-day legal notice under the

Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972 for planting poisonous substance on

the premises on April 27 and May 4 to kill stray dogs.

 

The IIFM management did not bother to check the fact that the

practice of killing street dogs by poisoning had been banned and

came in the category of hunting under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

 

The poison laced in eatables, sources say, also killed some wildlife

animals covered under the first schedule of the Wildlife

(Protection) Act 1972, besides stray dogs. Some people have reported

sighting of dead animals such as peacocks and hares on the campus.

 

Incidentally, the IIFM itself had conducted a study in 2005 on the

biodiversity of the campus. As per its report, there were 106

species of birds, 13 species of mammals and 16 species of reptiles

found in the campus and some of them belonged to Schedule I of the

Wildlife (Protection) Act, sources added.

 

Anyone found causing damage to these species could be punished with

imprisonment up to six years. Taking serious note of the poison

planting, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Bhopal Satyanand issued a

show cause notice to the director, IIFM on May 19 , warning of legal

action if the reply was not submitted in 14 days.

 

The DFO confirmed having sent the notice, adding, the department

received information about poisoning in the institute premises a bit

late.

 

" I have asked the IIFM management to furnish a reply on this issue

because the poison planted for stray dog could have an adverse

impact on the health of a wide variety of animals present in the

campus even if none of them got killed, " Satyanand told Hindustan

Times.

 

When contacted, IIFM director D K Bandopadhyay initially pleaded

ignorance about any notice from the DFO. However, when this

correspondent told him that he had a copy of the notice, the

director relented and narrated his version of the incident.

 

" We approached the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) because people

in the campus had been facing a stray dog menace for quite some

time. These dogs are a constant source of worry and people here

can't sleep due to the menace. Dogs bit three or four children and

injured faculty member, " he clarified.

 

The director, however, denied that any other animals were killed due

to poisoning. " I am writing to Principal Secretary, Forest and

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest about the entire episode,

problems faced by the people due to presence of stray dogs and also

about those officers who are trying to malign the image of the

prestigious institute, " he said.

 

Broken laws

 

IIFM management did not bother to check the fact that the practice

of killing street dogs by poisoning had been banned and came in the

category of hunting under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The poison

laced in eatables, sources say, also killed some wildlife animals

covered under the first schedule of the Wildlife (Protection) Act

1972, besides stray dogs.