Hyderabad: Poachers along forest fringes have been using a mix of crude traps, electric snares and coordinated hunting methods to target wildlife, with power lines near agricultural fields emerging as a major tool in recent incidents, Telangana forest dept officials said following the death of a beat officer while chasing poachers.According to their assessment, poachers usually operate in the early morning hours, particularly between 4 and 5 am, when movement of forest staff is limited. They reportedly select locations close to water bodies, streams and nalas frequented by animals, while also looking for areas near electricity lines that can be used to set up illegal snares.“Earlier, poaching and hunting was through traditional means, which included snares and traps. Now it has become very easy and cheap because illegal electrical lines are available in and around forest areas,” said Siddharth Vikram Singh, a district forest officer.Elaborating further, officials said poachers fix metal or clutch wires to pegs driven into the ground, creating a concealed electric trap. As a result, animals moving through the area often come into contact with the live wire and get electrocuted.“They use signals, animal sounds, torchlights and code words to coordinate their activities,” the forest officer said. “We do not have any equipment and machines through which we can detect such illegal electrical connections,” Singh added.Officials said hunting is driven partly by demand for Sambar deer, Chousingha (four-horned antelope) and wild boar.Speaking about the need for more stringent norms to arrest this menace, officials said they had recommended action against those allegedly facilitating crime. In some cases, the dept has suggested reviewing the forest rights granted to individuals or families if hunting takes place on their land. “Responsibility has to be fixed on the communities occupying these lands when hunting incidents occur in their title areas,” the officer said, adding that such action could help deter poaching.The DFO added that while the dept kept records of habitual offenders, these were misplaced when forest staff were transferred. “We have sought digitisation of case records and are working towards an online system to preserve the information across stations,” he added.
