HYDERABAD:  During a routine field inspection by forest officials in the hinterlands of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, 13 Gothikoya tribals were arrested for allegedly hunting animals, possessing hunting equipment such as animal traps and wildlife trophies such as spotted deer skins in their houses. In the raid, which was conducted on Monday by District Forest Officer Sivala Rambabu in the villages of Chintalapdu and Chalamannagarvillages of Mulakalapally Mandal, seven spotted deer skins, three Chowsinga horns, 28 spotted deer antlers, two horns of white buffaloes and two spines of porcupines were nabbed from the houses of the 13 Gotthikoyas, the DFO said in a release. 

The DFO said that the ages of the wildlife trophies ranged from two-three days to a year. Apart from that, hunting equipment, including two animal traps, 32 snares, 65 bows, 112 arrows, 20 spades, 40 axes, and 60 sickles were also retrieved from them. Cases under relevant sections of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Bio-diversity Act, 2002 were registered against the 13 tribals. They will be produced before the First Class Magistrate in Kothagudem. 

The DFO was acting on a tip-off by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NSRC) through the Principal Conservator of Forests, who had pointed out that there was large-scale felling of trees in the villages of Chintalapdu and Chalamannagar. Information was also received that the head of Chintalapdu, a person named Chalamanna was allegedly abetting wildlife crimes. The DFO said Chalamanna established the village Chalamannagar on his name, at a stone’s throw from Chintalapdu. 

In fact, on October 2018, when a Forest Range Officer had gone to inspect the two villages on complaints of tree felling and attempted land encroachment in Dhammapada Reserve Forest, falling in Mulaklalapally Range of Paloncha division, the villagers detained the FRO and tried to attack his staff. They were freed when the police intervened. However, the DFO noted in the release that the issue was not reported to him. 
He said, “These villages are in the encroached forest land and set up with illegal electrical connectivity which is posing a great danger to wildlife. The rehabilitation and resettlement of these illegal settlements is the need of the hour.”