Activists Seek Special Task Force as Karnataka Wildlife Poaching Persists

Conservationists and wildlife activists in Karnataka are demanding the creation of a dedicated Special Task Force to target organised poaching syndicates, following recent arrests in Bannerghatta that revealed structured commercial networks financing hunting, illegal arms, and game meat distribution.

Activists want the proposed Special Task Force to include police personnel, forest officials, wildlife experts, and cyber specialists. Rather than concluding investigations with local villagers hired to hunt, the task force would trace financiers, weapons suppliers, commercial meat buyers, transporters, and digital communication channels driving the trade.

Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stated that a thorough investigation into the recent Hanur shootout case is currently underway. Responding to queries regarding anti-poaching camps being attacked with gelatine sticks and suspected involvement from Tamil Nadu, he noted that the Forest Minister is overseeing the probe and official details will be released once the report is formally submitted.

Trackers of the illegal trade report that many hunters operate under organised syndicates. These networks recruit local villagers, provide them with guns, ammunition, and transport, and compensate them based on the quantity of meat secured. Once delivered, the distribution chain handles sales. Commercial rates in the illegal market reach approximately Rs 1,200 per kilogram for deer and sambar meat, Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 per kilogram for gaur meat, and Rs 600 to Rs 1,000 per kilogram for wild boar meat.

Karnataka recorded 1,956 wildlife crime cases between 2018-19 and 2021-22, including 383 cases in 2018-19, 476 in 2019-20, 637 in 2020-21, and 460 in 2021-22. In one recent month, forest authorities detected five hunting cases and arrested eight people.

The trade has also seen fatal confrontations over the years. Three suspected hunters died recently during an alleged hunting incident in Hanur. Previous fatalities include Manu in Bandipur’s Maddur range in November 2023, Raju in the Gopinatham-Adipalar area in February 2023, and Palani near the Chamarajanagar border in 2014.

Concerns have also surfaced regarding insider facilitation. Authorities recently arrested beat guard Ponnappa alias Naveen in Hunsur and recovered a firearm and a live deer. Past enforcement actions include the 2014 arrest of a Mysuru CID DySP hunting deer in Bandipur and the 2023 arrest of a sub-range forest officer for possessing a tiger-claw pendant.