BANGALORE: The Forest Department have said crime against wildlife has reduced in the State. This is attributed to the anti-poaching camps organised in villages around all reserved forest areas and wildlife sanctuaries. However, the taste for deer meat has led to the department taking more stringent measures.A matter of envy for other states which are combating with the shortage of field staff for their sanctuaries, the anti-poaching groups are full in the state with vacancies in single digit numbers. "There were several cases of poaching registered a few years back. After the camps, the cases of capturing animals for trade has drastically lessened," said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Swaminath M H.When asked about an upward trend in cases registered in this year, he said that the poaching is now mainly restricted to hunting for meat. "Cases are regularly registered against villagers living around the sanctuaries or reserved forest areas where they hunt deer once in a few months. We have been talking to them and hope to veer them off from this habit," he explained. The two big cases in the last one year were the arrest of an interstate gang operating in Bandipur when they tried selling tiger skin but the other and more recent incident put the Forest Department on alert: student selling deer meat to Dubai."In that case, a student posing as visitor to the BRT range used to hunt spotted deer and hide it in the car. Once smuggled out, he would cut the meat into pieces and export it to Dubai," said Swaminath. After that incident, the Forest Department is alert to the problems and has asked its staff to inspect vehicles vigorously.
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