Inter-state racket in trading of eagle owls busted in Karnataka

BENGALURU: A huge inter-state racket trading in trading of eagle owl species in three states — Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra — was unearthed at Sankeshwar, Belagavi, on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border. On Tuesday evening, two of the five offenders were arrested while four eagle owls were seized. According to forest officials, they were involved in capturing and selling of birds online.

The arrested are Pramod Mokashi (30) and Bhausaheb Sakhare-Kamble (50) from Gadingalaj taluk in Kolhapur district, Maharashtra. Three others, including the main culprit, escaped. The arrested duo were produced before the Sankeshwar JMFC court. Forest officials have seized a motorcycle and four owls from their possession. Acting on a tip off, the forest department squad nabbed the duo who were riding on bike from Gadingalaj to Nippani via Sankeshwar.

Under the leadership of Prashant Shanken, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Belagavi, five teams were formed to nab these wildlife traders. The teams comprised of two to three members each from different ranges of Belagavi.

N Prabhakar Sangamesh, Range Forest Officer, Gujanal Range, Belagavi Division added, “Five gang members came to Bengaluru-Pune Highway with four eagle owls in four boxes. However, three members escaped. They are running a big racket and are involved in trading of owls regularly. They had in fact, brought the birds through some interior areas of Maharashtra to Karnataka. Interrogation revealed that the owls were actually captured in Kerala.”

During assembly elections this time, hundreds of eagle owls were allegedly sacrificed by candidates belonging to all political parties, to bring good fortune to them. The demand for owls is such that several gangs selling the birds have mushroomed and the prices sometimes go up to a staggering `3 lakh for each bird.

Wildlife trafficking experts say this is just the tip of the iceberg as trading of the rock eagle or great horned owl species is rampant in Karnataka for meat, black magic and occult practices.The modus operandi is the main kingpin that operates from a city by hiring bird traders in rural areas who in turn, hire tribal youths like Hakki Pikkis, Jenu Kurubas, Kadu Kurubas, etc to capture these nocturnal birds which is a very
difficult task.

Owl trading

Trading in live owl species — barn owls, eagle owls, mottled owls, etc are very common in India. Usually, owls are poached for their meat while their body parts like skull, feathers, beak, blood and bones are used in black magic, occult practices and also for sacrifices during festivals. As per Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 poaching and selling of all species of owls in India is illegal and banned.