Forest officials claim poaching bid foiled in Ganjam district

Berhampur: With the seizure of a huge quantity of wires and other materials, forest officials today claimed to have foiled a wild animal poaching bid at Lal Singh area in Odisha's Ganjam district.

Acting on a tip-off, forest personnel raided the area under Ghumusar North forest range and seized 200 metres of live wires hooked from an electric pole.

"We suspect the wire to have been hooked for poaching of the wild animals through electrocution," said divisional forest officer, Ghumusar North, Rama Swami P.

Patrolling was intensified in the area to prevent poaching of wild animals through electrocution. In some places, the farmers also lay electric wires to kill animals who come to eat their crops, forest officials said.

The DFO, however, said there had been no incident of killing of wildlife reported so far this year through the electrocution.

In previous years, wild animals, including elephants, wild boar, barking deer and sambar were killed in the district when they came to contact with the live electric wires, sources said.

The awareness meetings on the prevention of wildlife poaching through the electrocution was held different places particularly in vulnerable areas by the forest department, officials added.