Serious concerns have been raised among conservationists and forest officials after the carcass of a 13-year-old male elephant was found with bullet injuries on Thursday night near the Kamenahalli Reserve Forest area in Chikkamagaluru taluk. Forest Department officers suspect the role of local people in the incident, and have begun an investigation after registering a case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
During the preliminary examination, two to three bullet injuries were seen on the neck, but the tusks were intact. M.S. Manik, Deputy Conservator of Forests, on Friday, told The Hindu , “It appears that the elephant died 36 hours ago. The carcass had already started decaying by the time we reached the spot. We noticed bullet injuries. A post-mortem will bring out the cause of death.”
Around 10 to 15 elephants have been noticed in Kamenahalli Reserve Forest area and they often rampage through private estates causing damage to crops.
Officials suspect that someone from the estates, trying to ward off the elephants, may have fired at the animal. “Prima facie it appears to be an act of local people armed with country-made rifles. We are investigating the case and are hopeful of getting the accused in custody,” he said. Officials say one of the problems is that Chikkamagaluru is among the districts with the highest number of gun licences issued in the State. More than 8,500 gun licences have been issued in the district.
