[ Mingkeng Osik ]
PASIGHAT, 31 Dec: Several carcasses of wild animals, including birds and rodents, apart from guns used for unlawful hunting were seized during a joint operation against illegal hunting, carried out by a team of the East Siang district unit of the Adi Ba:ne Kebang, the Pasighat forest range and the Mebo police on Tuesday.
The joint operation was carried out in two different locations, Leging village under Pasighat circle and at Raneghat bridge.
The joint team also apprehended individuals involved in hunting and seized two airguns along with live bullets. The seized animal carcasses were of a variety of wild animals, like the grey treepie, partridge, wild parrot, civet, porcupine, wild goat, rodents in bulk, wild pig, stink bug (around 82 kgs) and venison.
A senior police officer informed that the police are committed to taking stringent action against such offenders.
East Siang ABK president Dijhi Tamuk and general secretary Kalen Komut urged people to stop hunting wild animals, and requested the ABK team of Upper Siang belt to make stringent policies against such illegal practice “and keep a routine check on poachers.”
Range Forest Officers Neeraj Tamuk and Domek Koyu emphasised the importance of protecting the region’s biodiversity, noting that several animal and bird species caught in the operation play crucial roles in the ecosystem.
They urged the people to desist from hunting wild animals and birds, and said that that violators held responsible will face up to three to seven of imprisonment, and that a fine of Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh will also be imposed on them under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
The joint inspection team noted down the names and phone numbers of the violators apprehended during the operation, and warned them against taking up such activities. The team also urged the local communities to report incidents of wildlife hunting.
