Soft-pedaling wildlife crimes, the Forest division manner  

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: In the second week of February, a useless elephant charred and buried in Athagarh forest division was dug up by the Special Task Force (STF). Worse, the native forest workers have been discovered prima facie complicit in suppression of the case.

A month later, none has been arrested in what was a transparent case of wildlife crime. Even the Forest division seems to be gentle pedaling the incident as a result of all of it occurred beneath the watch of its personal workers.

The Forest division has now issued an order to droop Ashok Kumar Behera, vary officer of Narsinghpur West the place the incident occurred. He has been despatched to RCCF Bhubaneswar circle and instructed to not depart the headquarters with out prior permission from the authority throughout the suspension interval. A disciplinary continuing has been drawn towards him. Earlier, a forester  and forest guard had been suspended.

This is how wildlife crimes, extra importantly demise of elephants, are being investigated and brushed beneath the carpet within the State. Sad however true. 

The OUAT specialists who had carried out the post-mortem had clearly said that it may very well be a case of poaching as a traumatic and sharp reducing damage had been discovered close to the cavity of the tusker and its carcass was charred earlier than it was buried within the forest. Instead, the case is being dismissed as a pure demise although lacking tusks have been recovered solely after STF investigation.

“This is a clear case of wildlife crime because the elephant death was not only suppressed, carcass burnt and buried but tusks were also hidden. If the STF had not probed and dug it up even in the face of resistance from local staff, the matter would never have come to fore. Criminal proceedings should have been initiated for disappearance of evidence and that would have sent a stern message,” stated an insider of the Forest division.

The motion towards the vary officer signifies the division’s lukewarm response to such a grievous wildlife crime, wildlife activists say. Behera was final posted as Range Officer in Chandaka Forest Division.

What’s worrying, this isn’t the primary case of elephant demise being suppressed in Athagarh division. Last yr too, an identical case had been reported.

Athagarh DFO in-charge Sanjay Swain, nevertheless, stated that as per investigation it turned out to be a case of pure demise and  the forester was positioned beneath suspension for not following due process for burial of the elephant carcass and never reporting the identical. 

He additionally acknowledged that lacking tusks have been recovered from an undisclosed location.  “Tusks can be removed from the carcass in the event of natural death too,” he added. Both STF and Forest division are reluctant to disclose particulars of the findings of their investigation. 

DIG, STF JN Pankaj stated the company submitted the investigation report back to Forest division for obligatory motion at its finish. PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Shashi Paul couldn’t be reached for his feedback.