Manhunt launched for Asiatic Lion hunters in Gujarat

[Guest guest]

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1945784,000900040003.htm

 

Gir forest authorities launched manhunt of poachers

 

*Haresh Pandya*

 

Rajkot, March 6, 2007

<http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1945784,000900040003.htm#>

<http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1945784,000900040003.htm#>

<http://147.208.132.198/onlineCDA/PFVersion.jsp?article=http://10.81.141.122/new\

s/181_1945784,000900040003.htm>

Advertisement

 

Gir forest authorities have suddenly woken up from their slumber and

launched a massive manhunt following brutal poaching of two lionesses and

one lioness, which they discovered after coming across their horribly

degenerated carcasses on Saturday, long after the killers had fled with all

the priceless bones and claws of the big cats.

 

According to forest authorities, this is the first time in the history of

Gir that a lioness has been killed by professional hunters.

 

Even as the forest officials are beginning to wear a mask of innocence, as

has been their wont, more and more shocking details of the gruesome incident

and their serious carelessness towards their duties are coming in.

 

The big cats were hunted, and subsequently butchered to rip off their bones

and claws, presumably on Thursday, according to locals. But till Saturday

evening, no forest guard or official knew anything about the poaching

despite the Babariya Range chowky being hardly 500 metre from the place of

incident. It required a local person to inform the forest authorities that

decomposed carcasses of big cats were lying near their chowky.

 

It has been further revealed that not only bones and claws but also the

skulls of the Asiatic lions were missing. All that the forest officials

could recover from the spot were scattered pieces of the animals' skin and

flesh, which they have sent for forensic tests. The reported will be

available in a couple of days, according to forest officials.

 

Highly placed sources in the forest department said that three pits at some

distance and traps made of steel wire were found near the spot of poaching.

Clearly, the poachers had planned everything quite meticulously. With the

foresters busy in " other activities " and enjoying their slumber, there was

no one to watch them to execute their plan. In fact, it would have been

surprising if they had not succeeded in their deadly designs.

 

Besides police, the forest authorities have also sought help of the dog

squad of the investigating agencies to nab the criminals. But to no avail.

They have also kept a vigil on each and every train going from Veraval and

Junagadh. They have interrogated eleven men on the grounds of suspicion but

their inquiry has borne no fruits.

 

A gang of poachers from Madhya Pradesh was caught, before it could harm the

big cats or other animals, by the Gir authorities a few years ago. Nothing

questionable or suspicious was found from them. Keeping this in mind, some

forest officials now believe that the poaches of lionesses and lion may have

come from outside Gujarat and, having done their job, must have escaped to

their destinations.

 

Meanwhile, nature lovers and wildlife activists, headed by Gir Nature Youth

Club (GNYC), have demanded a high-level official inquiry into the poaching

of big cats and demanded resignation of the Gujarat forest and environment

minister Mangubhai Patel and immediate termination from duty of certain

officials.