Poacher arrested from Bhitarkanika

KENDRAPARA (Odisha): Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district have taken into custody the kingpin of a poaching racket while making a seizure of 25 kg of raw deer meat from the protected mangrove forest areas, official sources said.

The prime accused identified as Bikram Mallick confessed that the racket used to trap and kill the deer species at regular intervals.

"Besides venison, an antler of the felled deer, nets and nylon loops used for trapping the animals was seized during a raid within the core area of the national park," said Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) Forest Division.

Mallick, the key player of the poaching racket, was intercepted from the spot while two of his accomplices managed to evade arrest.

They had spread out nylon nets with loops to catch deer. The gang was actively indulged in wildlife poaching activity in the recent past, he said.

"Besides killing deer, they were also adept in the poaching of wild boar," Mahapatra said.

The forest department has intensified vigil on poaching activity by setting up of anti-poaching squads to keep round-the-clock watch.