Bengaluru: Barely days after three alleged poachers were killed in an Aug 15 operation, Karnataka forest department is staring at mounting losses, with a series of complaints revealing alleged attacks on its staff, patrol vehicles, anti-poaching camps and quarters across the Cauvery Sanctuary and adjoining forest areas.According to senior forest officials, 11 anti-poaching camps (APCs), staff quarters and govt vehicles in both Cauvery and adjoining Male Mahadeshwara wildlife sanctuaries have either been blown up with gelatin sticks or vandalised, with buildings and other critical infrastructure damaged within the protected areas.TOI first reported on Aug 18 that two APCs in the Hanur forest division — Holemuridatti and Minchinara Halla — had been blown up.The attacks have now emerged as a wider pattern of alleged retaliation following the killing of three suspected poachers. The incidents have caused financial losses and raised serious concerns over the safety of frontline staff and the ability to maintain surveillance in one of Karnataka’s crucial wildlife landscapes.Cauvery and Male Mahadeshwara sanctuaries form part of an important tiger and elephant landscape connecting Karnataka with Tamil Nadu and Kerala, making the anti-poaching network critical for protecting wildlife movement across the region. According to FIR and complaint documents accessed by TOI, the retaliation targeted forest personnel on duty.In the early hours of Aug 16, a department jeep deployed for night patrol in Cowdalli Wildlife Range was allegedly intercepted by five men. Two forest staffers were allegedly abused, assaulted and threatened.“The miscreants assaulted us for killing people who entered the forest (Hanur). They smashed the jeep’s windshield with a boulder, damaged the driver’s seat and tore away the jeep’s tarpaulin cover. They threatened to burn us alive if we returned to the area,” jeep driver Arunkumar N and forest personnel D Huchhaiah said in a complaint to Ramapura police station in Kollegal division.The alleged retaliation spread beyond Hanur range. In a separate complaint, Ravikumar, range forest officer of the Kollegala buffer range, reported vandalism at the Siluvepura APC under the Sattegala Jageri section. The damage was estimated at more than Rs 50,000, with doors, windows, water and borewell pipes, cables and other fittings allegedly damaged.“We suspect that relatives of the three deceased poachers could be behind the attack,” Ravikumar said in his complaint.In another complaint filed by Hanur wildlife range RFO Mahadev NP, four APCs — Holemuridatti, Betegaranagudda, Budikere and Kallidoddi — along with staff quarters at Shagya and Kallidoddi were allegedly attacked and vandalised on Aug 15. Four two-wheelers were also reported to have been damaged.Forest personnel alleged unidentified persons and villagers entered the forest carrying weapons and targeted facilities specifically established to track poachers and prevent illegal hunting. Destruction of APCs could create critical surveillance gaps, leaving vast stretches of forest vulnerable to poaching.Forest minister Ramalinga Reddy said incidents were coming to light now as forest personnel returned to their assigned locations following an anti-poaching operation. “Due to this, there has been a delay in reporting these incidents and filing complaints with police. We’ve been coordinating with police to ascertain what explosives were used to blow up camps,” Reddy said.
Karnataka Forest Department personnel inspect the damage at the Holemaradatti anti-poaching camp in Hanur, allegedly blown up by miscreants following the August 15 operation that left three suspected poachers dead.
A view of the damages at the Holemaradatti anti-poaching camp in Hanur, allegedly blown up by miscreants following the August 15 operation that left three suspected poachers dead.
A view of the damages at the Holemaradatti anti-poaching camp in Hanur, allegedly blown up by miscreants following the August 15 operation that left three suspected poachers dead.
A view of Ollemaradahatti Anti-Poaching Camp (APC) in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, several of which were reportedly ransacked or destroyed following the killing of three alleged poachers on August 15.
Extent of damage at an anti-poaching camp in Hanur division after miscreants allegedly blew up the facility and set fire to Forest Department properties.
Extent of damage at an anti-poaching camp in Hanur division after miscreants allegedly blew up the facility and set fire to Forest Department properties.
