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And now Lions: poaching in the Gir!! 11 March, 2007 |
HOMEAnd now Lions: poaching in the Gir!! Result of a 15-year moratorium on new recruitments at the cutting edge level, the inertia of higher ups in the administration has been sapping the Forest Department of energies so much required for guarding vast forests on foot. The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that in some ranges there is not a single beat guard below the age of 25. “This is the cadre which is supposed to keep tabs on the goings on inside the forests with an area of about 700 hectares, sometimes criss-crossing 15-20 villages. This effectively means running up to 10-12 kms in a single day if a beat is to be serviced properly,” informs H M Rabari, a leader of Beat Guards Association fighting a case against the government. He has been a beat guard for the last 27 years with no promotions. In 2003, 27 contract labourers were inducted as beat guards by the Department. That was the last time fresh blood got infused into the system. As per Forest Department guidelines, for a well-managed forest area about 50 per cent of the total strength should be below 35-years. In Gujarat ’s forests, more than 90 per cent of staff is above that mark. “We have sent many reports to higher ups, but a concrete action has not materialized. If properly involved the staff just could not have missed the roars of lions being trapped and poached. A lion’s distress sound can be heard for kms in the silence of forests,” says a Conservator of Forests. So was the distress call of three lionesses missed because there was no one to listen? Ranges lie vacant for months as some go on leave, some are transferred and others just run away from depression. Many have taken premature retirement rather than face the rigours of the job. Senior officers claim the situation is not going to continue for long. Written tests for appointment of 200 temporary forest Sahayaks (helpers) are to be held at the end of this month. But the whole process of recruitment and training would be complete only by the end of this year. “At least something is happening. After a long time we are looking at recruitments and promotions at all levels from cutting edge onwards. While this would strengthen the basics, we are also in the process of designing programmes which see public participation in forest policing,” says Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), M L Sharma. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=226149 The Indian Express, March 11, 2007 Ten days after the poaching incident in Gir sanctuary, which claimed the lives of three lions, the investigation has been handed over to CID (Crime) on Saturday. The probe by Forest Department officials here yielded nothing concrete forcing them to concede that the perpetrators were too "clever as they did not leave behind any clue". When contacted Principal Secretary ( Forest and Environment) P N Roychaudhary said, "Police are specialised in handling criminal investigation, and because the culprits were too smart it needed expert hands and so the probe has been handed over to the police department." "Our department has expertise in forest related issues like conservation of forest, environment, wildlife and its requirement and so on. We know to do these jobs. However, we aren't experts in criminal investigation and this requires such expertise," he said. On the findings of the dog squad and FSL report, Roychaudhary said, "No fire arms were used in committing this crime according to FSL findings. Beside, dog squad stopped at two different places on road, which clearly indicates the exact distance between two vehicles." The culprits, he said, came in two or more vehicles, stayed in forest for reasonable time (more then six hours), deftly completed their work and disappeared from scene. According to Roychaudhary, it was a professional job with possibility of international gang involved. He added that there was possibility that the crime was organised with local help. He added that though locals may not have been directly involved, they may have provided logistic support. Roychaudhary said that bones of three big cats weigh not less than120 kg. These, he said, couldn't be shifted out without use of truck. "Locals clearly know lion behavior and their location but we need concrete proof and solid evidence. To get to the bottom of the crime, we need people's support . Those who have any information should contact us," he said. http://in.news.yahoo.com/070310/48/6d52e.html Nature lovers and wildlife officers say last week’s killing of three Asiatic lions is the most barbarous of such acts in the history of the Gir reserve. This is not the first time that Gir, a reserve spread across 1,412 square km, has witnessed such a crime in living memory. In September 2005, three lion carcasses — including two burnt ones — were recovered. Even then, the latest act has managed to shock everyone out of complacence. Ramesh Raval, former Wildlife Warden of Junagadh, says, “This is the most shocking incident of poaching that has been reported during my life. Gir authorities have been talking nonsense and shirking responsibilities. Whether done at night or day, such systematic killing could not have gone unnoticed. The forest office is nearby and hundreds of vehicles pass through the adjacent state highway.” He explains further: “There were no signs of blood at the spot. The poachers have cut the skin very carefully to rip off the claws, bones and skull. This would have taken about four hours or so — it usually does. Inexperienced people cannot do this.” PN Roy Choudhury, principal secretary at the environment and forests department of the Gujarat government, also suspects a play by experienced local hands. “A handful of outsiders with no knowledge of Gir or the movements of the big cats cannot do such a thing. Poachers may have enjoyed some sort of guidance, support or shelter from the locals. A lot of planning must have been involved in the killing — on the how, where and when,” he says. Though Roy Choudhury assures that the guilty would “not be spared” and meted out “strict punishment”, he may not be able to force his will. According to the Union environment and forests ministry, half the posts for forest officers around the country are lying vacant, and the average age of those in office is more than 50 years. “It is not a question of how many foresters, including officials, you have,” counters Roy Choudhury. “The important thing is how efficient these officers are, how well-equipped they are, and how good is their network in and outside the sanctuary.” Going by recent history, there is not much reason to be assured on these counts, too. However, RL Meena, conservator of forests in the Kutch district of Gujarat, guards his own flock. The 48-year-old officer says: “Only experienced and committed men ought to hold these highly responsible positions. They must have a striking personality. People should be in awe of the forest officers. Only then will they think twice before shirking from their main duties and indulging in malpractice.” Incidentally, it was Meena who had first unearthed a racket of lion poachers in Gir in the mid-1990s. Even then, he was transferred after serving two and a half years in the east division. But Bharat Pathak, the current conservator of forests at Junagadh, remains in charge since 6 August 2000 despite the two gruesome incidents that have been reported during his tenure. “The three lions were killed only 500 metres from the Babariya range post, where a number of guards are supposed to be on duty round the clock,” says Amit B. Jethava, president of the Gir Nature Youth Club. “Such a thing cannot be possible without the support of some forest officials. Pathak, along with some supervisors, ought to be suspended immediately.” “Lions also keep dying at regular intervals by falling into Gir’s wells with no parapets,” says Jethava. These open wells — and there are just too many in and outside Gir — are death traps for the cubs in particular. Jethava raises a serious question: “When the lions inside the sanctuary are not safe, what to say of the others that roam outside in unprotected areas?” After all, at last count, there were only 359 of them alive. National disgrace March 7, 2007 The killing of more Asiatic lions in the Gir Lion Sanctuary is a national disgrace. It highlights the deeper malaise afflicting India ’s wildlife parks, presided over by indifferent bureaucrats and forest officials. The mutilated bodies of two lionesses and a cub were found last week in the park. From all accounts, poachers killed the animals, leaving behind the pelts and taking claws, bones and skulls, which are highly prized in traditional Chinese medicine. The world’s last surviving group of the big cat’s sub-species in the wild has been under enormous pressure in Gir. Sadly, while the disappearance of India ’s tiger population has raised a national outcry, the gentler Asiatic lion’s fragile existence has not caused quite the same alarm. Unlike the 3,000-odd tigers in India ’s 27 wildlife reserves, there are less than 300 Asiatic lions left in the confines of Gir. Apart from poaching, bad land management outside the sanctuary seems to have played a key role in silencing the lions’ roar. Whenever they run out of fodder for their livestock, villagers send cattle herds into the forests. This disturbs the jungle food chain, making it difficult for the lions to hunt their natural prey like sambar and chital. Add to this the wanton deforestation, and it’s easy to see what sometimes prompts the big cats to wander miles outside the jungle. It’s time the authorities had a full audit on the Gir park’s infrastructure. If they are serious about cracking down on poaching, encroachments and illegal mining in the area, forest officers should be given solid backing whenever they get into legal wrangles with politically-connected poachers and timber merchants. Forest guards — who often remain on duty in the forest 24/7 without any medical, educational or social facilities — and deal with well-armed poachers using dandas should be adequately trained and equipped. The government could also rope in the villagers to help out, sharing with them the revenue from the enhanced tourism that would then be attracted to the last home of these magnificent beasts. |
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