Forest officials today arrested an alleged elephant poacher in Buguda forest range of Ganjam district in Odisha.
Purna Chandra Nayak of Belapada was arrested and around 1000-meter electrical wires, some bottles and bamboos were seized from Tangara reserve forest on Thursday during joint raids by personnel of forest department and power supply company Southco, Forest Ranger, Buguda PK Sahu said.
Five others who allegedly laid down the wires to electrocute wild animals, however, managed to escape from the spot, he said, adding, a herd of seven elephants was roaming in the area which has been identified as one of the elephant corridors.
The incidence of poaching of pachyderms by electrocution in Ganjam district is rampant. While atleast ten elephants and some other animals like wild boar perished in the district in 2012 due to poaching, particularly by electrocution, forest officials have foiled other attempts of poachers with timely raids, officials said.
Forest officials last year arrested at least three elephant poachers from Sorada area in the district.
"As a precautionary measure to prevent poaching of wild animals, particularly jumbos, we were disrupting power supply to the particular area with the help of Southco after getting the information," Sahu said.
Power cuts were also made during the night, when the elephant herd camps near villages, he said.
