Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary: 5 Anti-Poaching Camps Blasted

In the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, five anti-poaching camps were blasted with gelatin sticks in retaliation to the encounter between forest officials and poachers on August 15.

The encounter resulted in the death of three poachers, and miscreants from villages in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are suspected to be behind the blasts.

According to Karnataka Minister Ramalinga Reddy, the incident occurred on the morning of August 15, and eight anti-poaching camps were almost destroyed.

An inquiry is underway, and the forest officials have visited five anti-poaching camps, finding that they had been blasted using gelatin sticks.

The inspection of another eight anti-poaching camps deep in the forests is still pending.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar stated that a comprehensive investigation has been initiated, including the involvement of people from neighboring Tamil Nadu in the blasts.

The affected anti-poaching camps include Minchanahalli, Bhimeshwari, Ollemarada Hatti, Budigere, Bandehalli, and Kalidoddi.

The forest officials had reports of blast sounds being heard from the deep jungles, where another eight anti-poaching camps had been set up.

After the shootout at Tomyar Palya anti-poaching camp, violence erupted at nearby Hanur, where people started blocking roads and vandalized the forest department office.

The police intervened, securing the forest department staff and their family members, and asked the staff to vacate the camps and move out of Hanur taluk.

When the situation returned to normalcy on Wednesday morning, the police asked the forest staff to return to their duties, only to find that their camps had been blasted using gelatin sticks.

The blasts are a significant setback to the conservation efforts in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, and the investigation is expected to shed more light on the involvement of poachers and miscreants from neighboring states.

The sanctuary is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, and the anti-poaching camps play a crucial role in protecting the wildlife from poachers and smugglers.

The incident highlights the need for increased security measures and cooperation between states to combat wildlife crime and protect the sanctuaries.

The Karnataka government has assured that it will take all necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future and ensure the safety of the forest department staff and the wildlife in the sanctuary.