Berhampur: With the arrest of a poacher and seizure of several equipment, forest officials on Saturday claimed to have foiled hunting of wild animals, particularly elephants, in Buguda forest range of Odisha's Ganjam district.
Purna Chandra Nayak of Belapada was arrested and around 1000-meter electric wires, some bottles and bamboos were seized from Tangara reserve forest on Thursday during joint raids by personnel of forest department and power supply company Southco, said forest ranger, Buguda PK Sahu.
Five others who allegedly laid the wires to electrocute wild animals, however, managed to escape from the spot, he said adding the area was identified as one of the elephant corridors and a herd of seven elephants was roaming in the area.
Incidents of poaching of pachyderms by electrocution in Ganjam district were rampant. While at least ten elephants and some other animals like wild boar perished in the district in 2012 due to poaching, particularly by elctrocution, forest officials had foiled the attempts of poachers with timely raids, officials said.
Forest officials arrested at least three elephant poachers last year from Sorada area in the district.
"In a precautionary measure to prevent poaching of wild animals, particularly jumbos, we were disrupting power supply to the particular area with the help Southco after getting the information," Sahu said.
The power cuts were also made during the night, when the elephant herd camps near the villages, he said.