Poachers kill 3 chinkaras, one blackbuck in Jodhpur

JODHPUR: Reflecting the growing menace of poaching in the state, poachers shot down three chinkaras (gazelle) and a blackbuck at two different locations here on early Sunday morning. Police have arrested two poachers in this connection who had come from other districts and the search is on for the rest.
Three chinkaras and a blackbuck were killed in Kuni and Bilara regions of Jodhpur respectively, but they failed to get away with the dead antelopes.
In first case, Luni police arrested two poachers identified as Mohammad Abdul and Jiauddeen and seized an Innova car and some sharp edged weapons. “We caught them during our routine nakabandi,” said Gautam Dotasara, Luni SHO.
He said there were about six persons in the car that had a Jaipur registration number. “They shot down three chinkaras in Luni area and were fleeing with their bodies. We stopped them at the check post and arrested two of them with the bodies of the chinkaras. The rest managed to flee,” said Dotasara. All the poachers belonged to Rajsamand giving credence to the belief that there is a growing demand for chinkara meat, which is being met by poaching them here as they are found abundantly in the region. In the blackbuck case, no arrest has been made so far. General secretary of the Bishnoi Tiger Vanya Evam Paryavaran Sanstha, Ramniwas Budhnagar, said the people in the village heard a gun shot in the morning and when the rushed to the spot, they found a blackbuck lying injured.
“They took the blackbuck to the nearest rescue centre but it could not be saved,” Budhnagar said expressing suspicion over the people of “Van Baori” tribes notorious for the poaching living in the region.
Considering the large population of blackbucks in the area, the people of the village have demanded a permanent forest chowki in the village. “We are ready to provide a piece of land absolutely free to the forest department for the purpose”, added Budhnagar.