Explosives kill chital, forest officials on vigil

A spotted deer, commonly called chital, died after it bit a ball-like substance stuffed with explosives, which was kept by suspected poachers in Ramnagar forests in Nainital district, forest officials said on Sunday.

The incident near Bail Padao in Haldwani tehsil prompted forest department officials to search for such objects that could be kept in jungles.

“We received information that a chital had been injured after eating a substance that had explosives. The animal died when we reached the spot,” said Santosh Pant, the Bail Padao ranger.

“Poachers who deal in parts of wild animals coat gunpowder with flour. Animals think these objects as eatables and chew them. This leads to explosion that kills the animals as their jaws are blown away.”

Such explosives are kept near canals, rivers, or at points where animals come to drink water, Pant said.

“There had been instances when villagers had put up traps or explosives to kill wild boars, which damage their crops. It is not known if the present case is the handiwork of farmers.”

The ranger said sniffer dogs would be pressed into service to find such explosives near water sources.

Parag Madhukar Dhakate, the conservator of forest, western division, said poachers use such tactics to kill wild animals, so that they can trade in their parts.

“Villagers generally use traps to keep wild boars away. We are investigating the killing of the chital; vulnerable points inside the jungles will be checked, so that more animals do not lose their lives due to such explosives,” he said.

“Vigil has been enhanced. A forest department team will look out for suspected poachers and suspicious objects inside the jungles.”