Stung by two back-to-back tiger deaths attributed to snaring, the Forest Department swung into action and launched a massive combing operation outside the Nagarahole National Park boundary on Tuesday and dismantled 121 snares laid to trap the animals.
This followed a high-level meeting held at Anechowkur on Monday attended by senior Forest Department personnel who deployed nearly 300 staff and split them into different groups each with a minimum of five members.
The teams combed 500 mt on either side of the forest boundary from Anechowkur to Nanchi Gate covering around 17 km and recovered 121 snares. The Principal Chief Wildlife Warden (PCCF) B.G. Hosmath told The Hindu that all the snares were laid outside the national park and not inside and 31 snares were discovered at Anechowkur while 23 snares were dismantled at Kallahalla range in Ponnampet. In addition, 67 snares were found to be laid outside the park abutting the estate boundaries from Nanchi Gate to Kallahalla border, he added.
The operation will continue for the next two days and the periphery outside the national park boundary will be thoroughly combed to remove any snares or traps. The exercise on Wednesday will see combing operations from Nanchi Gate to Brahmagiri sanctuary, according to Nagarahole Park Director S. Manikandan.
Sudheer, member, Conflict Committee and Founder Trustee, Voice For Wildlife, told The Hindu that most of the snares were found close to hamlets and along the tracks leading to the water holes outside the national park. Some of the traps were also close to habitation of migrant workers living close to the estates abutting the forest boundary.
This will not be an one-off operation and the exercise will continue in future as well though not as many staff may be involved. “The unseasonal rain has given a reprieve from forest fires for nearly a week to 10 days and hence the forest watchers were also deployed for the combing operations. But in future, the regular guards will comb the areas,” said Mr. Sudheer.
The combing operation to remove the snares was led by the Special Tiger Protection Force members who have expertise in identifying and removing the traps and are involved in it since the last five years. The exercise is expected to generate additional data for better long-term park management.
The death of six tigers — five of them from Nagarahole alone — in January raised a hue and cry though officials attributed the death of four tigers to infighting. But two died owing to injuries caused by snare which resulted in an outrage raising fresh concerns over poaching and hence the Forest Department launched the operation.
Nagarahole, along with Bandipur, has some of the highest tiger densities in the country and together account for nearly 220 tigers of about 405 in the State.
