Shoot-on-sight orders in Corbett Tiger Reserve

Tribune News Service & PTI

Nainital, February 22

The Corbett Tiger Reserve authorities have issued shoot-on-sight orders and pressed two drones into service after poachers were reportedly spotted along the southern fringes of the park.

About 150 forest guards have been deployed and cameras installed at sensitive points in the territory of the park to keep a tab on suspicious movements.

Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, says the step follows reports of increased movement of poachers in the park’s sensitive southern border. “About 150 forest officials have been deployed with shoot-on-sight orders and 388 camera traps have been installed in the area to conduct a five-day operation to remove suspicious elements from Corbett,” he says.

The shoot-on-sight orders have been issued in keeping with a 2003 government order that permits such operations to save wildlife, Dhakate says.

“Villagers of the area have been informed of the shoot-on-sight orders and advised to avoid taking animals for grazing to the core areas of the jungle,” he says. Also, visitors to the park will now be subjected to extensive frisking, he adds.

The Uttarakhand High Court had recently prohibited killing of tigers, panthers or leopards on the pretext that they had become man-eaters or holding them captive for reasons other than medical care. However, tigers face a grave threat to their lives from poachers. This contributes to the already decreasing population of tigers, calling for such stern measures, he says.

Intelligence agencies had tipped off the Corbett authorities recently about the increased movement of a dreaded gang of poachers (Bavariya gang) along the southern fringe of the tiger reserve.

Two drones will also be pressed into service as part of the operations to keep aerial vigil on any suspicious movement in the protected area, Dhakate adds.

Meanwhile, the carcass of a tiger was found in the Belpadav range of Terai west forest division today. Another tiger’s carcass was recovered from Haridwar forest division yesterday.