Forest department officials suspect poachers set them up to trap blackbucks
The snares, over 200 feet-long were recovered from one km of the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary at Nanaj, Solapur
Over 50 wire snares, presumably placed to poach blackbucks, were dismantled near the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary at Nanaj, Solapur, by forest department officials on Sunday evening.
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The forest department team at the GIB Sanctuary was tipped off around 5 pm on Sunday by a local NGO working on wildlife conservation about traps set up by poachers near Mardi village, around 1 km from the sanctuary, in north Solapur. The team rushed to the spot and found over 50 snares lined up horizontally over 50 m on a plateau, said Bapusaheb Yele, range forest officer, GIB Sanctuary. The traps were placed in such a manner that they would wind tighter around an ensnared blackbuck if it tried to struggle free.
After performing a panchnama, the forest department officials removed the traps, over 200 ft long, and took them along with them.
KP Singh, chief conservator of forests, Pune territorial, has asked his staff to crack down on the poachers responsible. “Our team is investigating the matter and strict action will be taken as per the law against those who set up the traps,” he said.
Forest department teams have increased patrolling in and near the sanctuary, and are interacting with villagers in the hopes of getting a lead on the poachers.
Sources from the forest department said it is suspected that there is a huge poaching racket involved since blackbuck meat has a high demand in the black market.
As per a 2016 census, there were 225 blackbucks on 1,000 hectares of the GIB Sanctuary.
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