Source in the CTR informed that the reserve officials were started to see the photograph of a man with covered face and a 12 bore rifle in the hand who caught on the camera 4-5 days ago inside the Sona river core area of Corbett. The camera trapping took place at around 9:30 pm.
This was brought to the knowledge of the CTR management, following which a combing operation was launched under the leadership of PCCF and chief wildlife warden Srikant Chandola. In fact, Chandola returned to Dehradun only after finishing the drive to hunt down the poacher on Tuesday. According to the CTR sources, the reserve staff has identified the poacher and efforts are on to arrest him soon.
"The poacher was caught on camera inside the highly protected core area of the CTR. It was discovered following examination of the photograph in the camera. The poacher was seen with a 12 bore rifle. Our field staff identified the man and soon he will be arrested", said Surinder kumar, DFO Kalagarh forest division under the jurisdiction of the CTR. Kumar said prime face indications were that the man in the photograph was not an outsider.
Meanwhile, the CTR has intensified patrolling after the incident. According to a reserve source, this is the time when poachers try to intrude the CTR every year. A similar intrusion was witnessed in 2010 as well. CTR men had recovered a steel trap, a few liquor bottles and other articles from the spot, where 4-5 poachers were camping. Besides, poachers also intruded the Corbett Tiger Reserve in 2009. Although they failed to make any kill on both the occasions, the CTR men could not arrest them despite massive hunt launched by the wildlife team of state forest department. In fact, the CTR officials had identified a gang of 7-8 bawaria tribe poachers that camped inside the Corbett in 2009 but failed to nab them. Later, the same gang was spotted at Chandigarh railway station following which a team of forest officials was dispatched to arrest them, but in vain.
Source: Prithviraj Singh, Hindustan Times, Dehradun.
