Two males of a five-member searching group that allegedly poached a totally pregnant sambar deer in Kalladikode forest space beneath Mannarkkad Forest Division had been arrested on Sunday. Three others escaped because the Forest division surveillance group zeroed in on the poaching group.
A postmortem carried out on the four-year-old feminine sambar deer killed by the group discovered that it was days away from giving start to a fawn. Veterinary surgeon David Abraham led the necropsy, and eliminated the foetus.
The forest group on particular surveillance responsibility led by Ok. Manoj, deputy vary officer of Palakkayam, heard the sound of gunshots from Kalladikode forest on Saturday night time and launched a search.
While Bony and Thankachan alias Kuriakose had been caught, Santhosh Kanjirampara, Biju Akkamattam, and Binu Melappayyani escaped, forsaking the sambar deer.
Local residents mentioned these concerned in poaching had been energetic members of the Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA). Santhosh Kanjirampara is district secretary of the Kerala Congress (M).
Forest officers mentioned {that a} farm belonging to Thankachan adjoining the forest land was used for hiding and processing poached meat.
Range Forest Officer N. Zubair had strengthened the vigil within the space after a latest poaching incident of a wild gaur reported from Kalladikkode.
