The anti-poaching team of the Forest Department caught five accused who were hunting flying squirrel and Indian giant squirrel in Risgaon forest of Sitanadi Reserve Forest. The accused hunted with the help of dogs and the remains of wild animals and teak wood were recovered from them.
The anti-poaching team of the Forest Department has arrested five poachers for hunting flying squirrel and Indian giant squirrel in Risgaon forest of Sitanadi Reserve Forest area. The accused had hunted the squirrel in the dark of night with the help of trained dogs.
These hunters are expert in hunting with the help of dogs
The arrested accused are Dhansai Gond, Surendra Gond, Thaneshwar Gond, Rajman Gond of village Budra Belargaon and accused Arun Gond is a resident of Urid village of district Kondagaon. They are adept at hunting deer, rabbits and wild boars with the help of dogs. Remains of wild animals, horns etc. have been recovered from them.
A cache of teak wood has been recovered from the hideout of the accused. Action was taken against the accused under sections of the Wild Life Protection Act 1972. All the accused were presented before the Judicial Magistrate First Class Civil Court Nagari in the forest crime case, from where they were sent to jail.
patrol team chased and caught
The forest staff of Risgaon went out on night vigil in Gypsy at 7.30 pm on Monday. Amla reached Ekawari from Khallari Salhebhath via Gaatabahra from village Thothajharia. At around 12:30 in the night, three persons each in two motorcycles were seen going from Likhma towards Tagridongri.
Slingshot and torch recovered
When the patrol team chased them and stopped them, the motorcyclists following them fled away. During interrogation, accused bike riders Dhansay and Arun, along with three other associates, admitted to hunting flying squirrels and Indian giant squirrels with the help of trained pet dogs. Two slingshots and a big torch were found from them.
Punishment can be up to three years
During the search of the house of absconding accused Surendra Gond of village Budra Dhamtari, two deer horns, a tusk of wild boar, a porcupine feather, a rabbit noose, sal and teak chiran were recovered. Flying Squirrel i.e. Indian Giant Squirrel is listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, for whose hunting there is a provision of imprisonment for a minimum of three years and a maximum of seven years and a fine of Rs 25,000.
Indian giant squirrel
The Indian giant squirrel is a large, multicolored, and herbivorous tree squirrel species, found in the forests of India. It nests high in trees and can jump up to 36 feet. Its diet consists of fruits, flowers, nuts, bark and sometimes insects and bird eggs. It is active in the early hours of the day and its main predators are owls and leopards.