'Poaching' of 22 deer in Bikaner district sparks protests

Jaipur: Suspicious death of 22 deer in Bikaner district has sparked widespread protests, with the incident highlighting a growing number of poaching cases in the state.
After the carcasses of deer were found in such a large number on a farmland between Mahajan and Arjansar in the district on Thursday, the activists accused the local forest department of trying to hush up the poaching case.
Initially, the forest department claimed that the deer were attacked and killed by dogs, but the officials ordered exhumation of the bodies for a fresh post-mortem examination when people from Bishnoi community staged a protest on Friday.
Some villagers spotted the carcasses on the farmland and reported the matter to the forest department and the police. An initial examination of the bodies suggested that the deer had died a few days ago. Since there were injury marks on the bodies, the forest department quickly assumed that the deer were killed by stray dogs. They conducted a post-mortem examination and buried the bodies.
However, as the news of the deaths spread, people from Bishnoi community started gathering at the spot. They came not only from various places in Bikaner district, but also adjoining Gangangar and Hanumangarh.
"The forest department says that the deer were attacked and killed by stray dogs. It seems very unlikely because dogs can't kill such a large number of deer at a time. They are trying to hush up the matter," said Anil Bishnoi, a wildlife activist who reached the spot.
Bishnoi said that it was clearly a case of poaching. "There had been several cases of deer poaching in the region in the recent past, but the forest department has turned a blind eye to them. In most cases, the poachers are roaming scot-free," said Bishnoi.
A local forest department officer said that the bodies have been exhumed for a fresh post-mortem examination. "If the deer were poisoned to death, it will surely come up in the post-mortem report. We are sure that they were not shot dead or killed using sharp-edged weapons. Further investigation is going on," said the officer.
Babulal Jaju, another wildlife activist, said that deer is protected under Schedule-1 of Wildlife Protection Act. "Poaching of deer is a non-bailable offence and the poacher can be sentenced to a maximum imprisonment of seven years and imposed a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. Despite being such a serious crime, the forest department is taking the matter very casually," said Jaju.