Jamshedpur: After the carcass of a tusker was found lying at Sirum jungle close to the Bengal border, the forest department has sounded an alert. The department suspects that a gang of poachers might be active in the Chandil forest range which is located in the foothill of Dalma.
The carcass of a tusker was found lying at Sirum jungle close to Bengal border under Nimdih police station area in the adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district.
Revealing about the move, a forest official informed that it is not clear the reason behind the death of tusker, but it was certain that its tusks were missing.
“We have started a probe to find whether the tusker was killed by the poachers, but it is certain that some people having a criminal background must have cut off its tusks. We have put the forest guards on alert as no further tusker may fall victim to such cruelty,” said the official.
He pointed out as it may take about a month time for both the autopsy report and the viscera examination report, they have already started to detect the criminals involved in cutting the tusks from a fallen elephant. He said as the tusks were cut in a most unprofessional way, they expect that some people living in the surrounding villages might be involved in cutting the tusks and detection of such people will not be difficult.
Meanwhile, the forest department has launched a search operation to nab the poachers active in the region and take action against them. “We have launched a drive and have also informed the local police to increase vigil at the bordering areas of Odisha and Jharkhand,” said the official.
He went on to add that Dalma is the best elephant habitat of Jharkhand, where the pachyderms love to spend their summer. They have engaged a team of forest guards to keep a vigil on the water bodies in and around Jamshedpur.
He expressed confidence that the continuous monitor of the area may prevent poachers from indulging such acts. The department is going to take strict action as per Forest Act against those found guilty. The security system at Dalma will also keep an eye on the area non-stop. Even animals and birds suffering from various diseases can also be detected in this manner. Many times, tourists indulge in disposing plastic waste, he further noted.
He said that security is a prime concern at any place related to the wildlife. Crime in sanctuaries has been caught many times on surveillance instruments in the past.