Four farmers arrested for selling wild boar meat in Tiruvannamalai
The Hindu
Initial inquiries revealed the poachers are marginal farmers. They are said to be first time offenders. They poached wild animals to supplement their income from farming.
Four farmers were arrested by Forest Department officials for allegedly selling wild boar meat from their houses in Allikondapattu village near the Sorakolathur reserve forest (RF) in Tiruvannamalai on Thursday.
Officials said the forest squad seized around 40 kgs of raw meat laced with chemicals and knives from A. Dominic Xavier (20), P. Marisusai (42), S. Palani (44) and K. Rajiv Gandhi (37). They belong to Avur and Navambattu, hamlets within Allikondapattu village panchayat in Jawadhu Hills.
After Republic Day celebrations, local forest officials got an alert about the sale of wild boar meat in the hamlets. Immediately, a six-member team led by the Forest Range Officer (FRO) M. Srinivasan conducted a search in the hamlets around 11 a.m on Thursday.
After seeing the forest team, the poachers tried to flee but were nabbed by forest officials. “The raw meat seized from the poachers were equivalent to at least two wild boar. During the search, we found them (poachers) packing the raw meat for prospective customers,” Forest Range Officer (FRO) M. Srinivasan told The Hindu.
Initial inquiries revealed the poachers are marginal farmers, who cultivate paddy, corn and banana in small pieces of land near the RF. They are said to be first time offenders. They poached wild animals to supplement their income from farming.
The Tiruvannamalai Range has seven reserve forests (RFs) including Chippakadu, Athipakkam, Adinamalai and Sorakolathur, covering 13,000 hectares. A case has been registered under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The RFs in the district are fragmented by plantations that are in the fringes where animals roam searching for food and water. They turn out to be the hunting ground for poachers. Increasing incidents of animals straying into human habitations, mainly for water and increase in their population, also help poachers hunt wild animals without entering the RFs, officials said.
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