KENDRAPARA: Forest officials of Bhitarakanika national park on Saturday evening arrested a poacher for allegedly killing a spotted deer in the park in the district.The arrested poacher along with three others had reportedly laid traps inside the mangrove forest at Sunei forest. About 40 kg of venison, a horn and hide were also seized from the poacher, identified as Babaji Moharana (28) of Okilapala village within the park. The other three, however, managed to escape, said Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, the divisional forest officer of the park. Forest officials are conducting raids to arrest the trio, he added. Moharana was produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) at Pattamundei on Sunday and remanded in judicial custody. The seized venison was sent to the office of chief district veterinary officer at Kendrapada for examination, said the forest officer.The spotted deer is a Schedule I animal protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, and hence killing and selling of its meat is a punishable offence, he added.The rampant poaching of spotted deer in the recent past is being attributed to non-appointment of about 25 forest guards in the park. The poachers trap the animals by spreading nylon ropes in the mangrove forest, while some use trained dogs to kill the spotted deer. The hides and horns are mostly sold to Kolkata-based businessmen, said a forest officer, Three years back, some poachers were nabbed along with their trained dogs, he added.
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