Pregnant bison electrocuted in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara; poachers mutilate carcass

Balodabazar, Oct 27 (PTI) A pregnant bison died in Chhattisgarh's Balodabazar-Bhatapara district after it came in contact with live wire laid in a forest by poachers, officials said on Monday.

The poachers chopped off the head and legs of the wild animal and took out a fully developed foetus from its womb, they said.

"The mutilated carcass of the pregnant bison was found on Saturday in Arjuni forest range under Balodabazar forest division. Preliminary investigations suggest the poachers had laid an electric wire trap. The bison came in contact with it and got electrocuted. It seems the poachers chopped off the carcass in a bid to dispose it of," a forest official said.

Some suspects have been identified and efforts are on to apprehend them, he added.

Wildlife activist Nitin Singhvi from Raipur blamed the forest department's alleged negligence for the incident.

Despite prior warnings about increased poaching during the festive season the department failed to act, he alleged.

In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary of the state Forest and Climate Change department on Monday, Singhvi expressed anguish over the incident and asked him to instruct the wildlife wing to focus exclusively on wildlife protection and anti-poaching measures, rather than tourism promotion.

"In a letter to Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) on October 8, I had specifically suggested deploying sniffer dog presently housed at Nandan Van Jungle Safari, Raipur, to Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, which falls under the Baloda Bazar Division, where this tragic incident took place," he said.

Had the sniffer dog been deputed as suggested, even the fear of its presence could have acted as a deterrent, he said.

Singhvi further alleged that a similar incident occurred a day after Diwali in Raigarh Forest Division, where an elephant was electrocuted by a live wire laid to trap wild boars.

Trained sniffer dog squads should be deployed in Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks and tiger reserves with a minimum of two dogs per division, depending on area and vulnerability, he demanded. PTI COR TKP BNM