Express News Service
BHOPAL: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh forest department into the alleged poaching and burning of a wild elephant in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Shahdol district.
Acting on a complaint in the matter by Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, the NTCA wrote on Tuesday to the state forest department’s top brass and the BTR regional director and sought a detailed factual report in the matter.
On January 11, Dubey had written to the NTCA alleging poisoning of a wild elephant and burning of the tusker’s remains in Panpatha buffer zone of BTR in Shahdol district.
He had attached along with the complaint, the pictures of the elephant, which was allegedly poached and burnt later. The pictures of the bony remains believed to be of the same elephant too were enclosed with the complaint.
Not only Dubey, but also local villagers in the buffer zone of the BTR had alleged the killing of the elephant and later burning of its remains.
Ravindra Yadav, a resident of Gauri Ghat village, which is located close to the spot where the wild tusker was allegedly poisoned and burnt, alleged that the wild elephant was poisoned by an animal poacher Rajendra Yadav in October 2022.
“The elephant was treated by the BTR staff, but it died later, after which it was burnt in the same forest area. When we raised the matter with BTR guards, we were told to stay away from the spot, failing which we would be held for wildlife crime,” Ravindra said.
While denying any wild elephant poaching in the BTR, the BTR deputy director Lovit Bharti had said that the bones found from the forest area had already been sent for forensic analysis to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, and anything more on the issue could be said only after the report of the forensic analysis is received by the tiger reserve.
This newspaper had reported the story on January 15, 2023 The BTR, spread in Umaria and Shahdol districts of east MP, has been home to 50-odd wild elephants.
BHOPAL: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh forest department into the alleged poaching and burning of a wild elephant in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Shahdol district.
Acting on a complaint in the matter by Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, the NTCA wrote on Tuesday to the state forest department’s top brass and the BTR regional director and sought a detailed factual report in the matter.
On January 11, Dubey had written to the NTCA alleging poisoning of a wild elephant and burning of the tusker’s remains in Panpatha buffer zone of BTR in Shahdol district.
He had attached along with the complaint, the pictures of the elephant, which was allegedly poached and burnt later. The pictures of the bony remains believed to be of the same elephant too were enclosed with the complaint.
Not only Dubey, but also local villagers in the buffer zone of the BTR had alleged the killing of the elephant and later burning of its remains.
Ravindra Yadav, a resident of Gauri Ghat village, which is located close to the spot where the wild tusker was allegedly poisoned and burnt, alleged that the wild elephant was poisoned by an animal poacher Rajendra Yadav in October 2022.
“The elephant was treated by the BTR staff, but it died later, after which it was burnt in the same forest area. When we raised the matter with BTR guards, we were told to stay away from the spot, failing which we would be held for wildlife crime,” Ravindra said.
While denying any wild elephant poaching in the BTR, the BTR deputy director Lovit Bharti had said that the bones found from the forest area had already been sent for forensic analysis to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, and anything more on the issue could be said only after the report of the forensic analysis is received by the tiger reserve.
This newspaper had reported the story on January 15, 2023 The BTR, spread in Umaria and Shahdol districts of east MP, has been home to 50-odd wild elephants.
