Four persons were arrested at Thariyode on Tuesday on the charge of poaching in the Kurichyarmala forest section of the Kalpetta range in the South Wayanad forest division.
The accused have been identified as Vellan of Paluvayal at Thariyode; Balakrishnan of Kunhothmala at Idiyamvayal; and Balan and Chandran of Kummayamoola at Thariyode.
T.K. Vipindas, Forest Range Officer, Kalpetta, said the officials had seized 4.5 kg of salted and smoked meat of wild animals and two guns, one a crude weapon without licence.
He said the jaws and crania of a barking deer ( Cervus unicolor ) and a Sambar deer ( Muntiacus muntjac ) were found hidden under hay in the cow shed of Vellan.
Mr. Vipindas said the accused revealed during interrogation that they had hunted the deer and a wild boar a few weeks ago.
K.K. Sunilkumar, Divisional Forest Officer, South Wayanad, told The Hindu that this was the third incident reported from the forest division within two weeks and eight persons had been arrested on the charge of poaching and four guns seized.