The Hindu Online edition
Friday, Aug 27, 2010
TIRUNELVELI: Even after more than 20 wild boars have been poisoned and similar numbers of sambar deer killed and carcasses dumped in the reserve forest periphery and the Tamirabharani, no culprit has been arrested.
The matter came to light recently after a villager informed the media and the revenue officials about the gruesome killing of wild boar and sambar deer which invaded the farms close to the forest and caused severe destruction.
According to the villagers living close to the farm, from which the forest personnel recovered the hooves of the electrocuted sambar deer, the legs of these wild animals had been chopped off for preparing soup and the red meat in the thighs was taken for preparing a side-dish.
“The remaining portions were dumped in the river. It is happening for a long time and the forest officials in Papanasam know this,” a villager explained.
As the wild boars are being poisoned in most of the occasions, it is not consumed, he says. Meanwhile, a top Tamil Nadu Electricity Board official here has instructed his subordinates serving in the region between Papanasam and Cheranmahadevi to conduct surprise checks in the forest areas even during the night to detect power theft, if any, by the farmers for erecting electric fences.
