PATNA: The forest department on Saturday recovered one of the horns of the young male blackbuck, which was killed in a suspected poaching case at a village in Rohtas district on Wednesday evening.
Rohtas DFO Pradumna Gaurav said the horn was recovered about three km from the spot where the carcass was found based on information provided by the detained police constable, Niraj Kumar Dubey, during interrogation. “Efforts are on to recover the other horn of the killed endangered species,” he added.
The DFO said the detained cop has been arrested and sent to judicial custody for violating the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Dubey, however, did not admit to his role in the blackbuck killing and claimed that it was attacked by street dogs.
Sasaram SDPO Lakshman Prasad claimed that the autopsy ruled out the use of a weapon in the killing. “No bullet marks were found on the carcass. The post mortem report suggested the endangered species was killed with a sharp-edged object. The report doesn’t substantiate the villagers’ claim that the blackbuck was shot from behind,” the SDPO said.
The DFO said, “Investigation is on and we have talked to local residents as well as some wildlife experts to reach at a logical conclusion in the case.”
Blackbucks are found in abundance in the Shahabad region comprising Rohtas, Kaimur and Bhojpur districts. Forest department officials said the gentle animals can be found roaming freely in agricultural fields but there was no history of blackbucks being killed by poachers or local residents in the Shahabad region. “The villagers don’t kill blackbucks as they don’t damage their crops,” a senior forest department officer said.
The officer, however, admitted that stray incidents of killing of the antelopes for their body parts have been reported earlier. He said people kill blackbucks primarily for two reasons— using their characteristic twisted horns as trophies and for their meat.
“In this case, both the horns of the blackbuck have been chopped off,” the officer pointed out.
Rohtas DFO Pradumna Gaurav said the horn was recovered about three km from the spot where the carcass was found based on information provided by the detained police constable, Niraj Kumar Dubey, during interrogation. “Efforts are on to recover the other horn of the killed endangered species,” he added.
The DFO said the detained cop has been arrested and sent to judicial custody for violating the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Dubey, however, did not admit to his role in the blackbuck killing and claimed that it was attacked by street dogs.
Sasaram SDPO Lakshman Prasad claimed that the autopsy ruled out the use of a weapon in the killing. “No bullet marks were found on the carcass. The post mortem report suggested the endangered species was killed with a sharp-edged object. The report doesn’t substantiate the villagers’ claim that the blackbuck was shot from behind,” the SDPO said.
The DFO said, “Investigation is on and we have talked to local residents as well as some wildlife experts to reach at a logical conclusion in the case.”
Blackbucks are found in abundance in the Shahabad region comprising Rohtas, Kaimur and Bhojpur districts. Forest department officials said the gentle animals can be found roaming freely in agricultural fields but there was no history of blackbucks being killed by poachers or local residents in the Shahabad region. “The villagers don’t kill blackbucks as they don’t damage their crops,” a senior forest department officer said.
The officer, however, admitted that stray incidents of killing of the antelopes for their body parts have been reported earlier. He said people kill blackbucks primarily for two reasons— using their characteristic twisted horns as trophies and for their meat.
“In this case, both the horns of the blackbuck have been chopped off,” the officer pointed out.
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