Following the DC expose on poachers’ movement in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), the wildlife department on Tuesday arrested a man and has intensified surveillance in the nearby Sathyamangalam tiger reserve.

Sathyamangalam is a waterhole for large wild mammals, where forest brigand Veerappan was shot dead a few years ago.

According to Thengumarahada forest ranger G. Vidyadharan, the wildlife wing arrested Rohit Singh, 22, hailing from Chhattisgarh. He was nabbed by the forest team for moving in the jungles of Thulankanpatti, at Thengumarahada, last week. Investigations revealed that he clandestinely entered the jungles with metal wires to set up snares to trap tigers and panthers, he said.

It appears he has connections with a gang of such inter-state tiger poachers who were arrested at BTR tiger reserve in Karnataka, bordering Tamil Nadu, in the first week of July. The investigation is still on to establish the links among the poachers, he said.

“Following intelligence that a few north Indians were on the prowl in south Indian tiger reserves, combing operations by anti-poaching watchers were intensified in Sathyamangalam,” said Mr N. Sathish, district forest officer, Sathyamnagalam.

The foresters are scanning all the temporary shelters in the Sathy area and suspicious people are being interrogated. So far, all the wild cats in Sathyamangalam and Bhavani Sagar area are safe, the DFO added.

Mr B.K. Kumaran, president of the Nilgiris Ecology and Animals Protection Samithi, urged foresters to close all jungle guesthouses in Siriyoor, Aanaikatty, Thengumarahada and the fishing hut in Mukurthi until the poachers are nabbed.

The forest department should strengthen its intelligence wing to monitor the movement of outsiders and suspicious elements in the jungle borders, he suggested.

Wildlife activists welcome sc ruling

Environmentalists and wildlife activists across South India on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s order banning tourism in core areas of tiger reserves. The apex court also pulled up the Tamil Nadu forest department for its failure to control tourists’ movements inside the critical wildlife habitats. The court, however, has allowed eco-tourism in buffer zones.

Renowned tiger biologist Dr Ullas Karanth said, “I welcome the interim order of the SC regulating commercial tourism in core areas of tiger reserves. However, care should be taken to ensure that the non-commercial and educational values of nature tourism and public support for conservation are not lost sight of.

Certainly all tourist residential facilities should be moved out of core habitats and critical corridors at the earliest. The economic power of tourism should be leveraged to create more habitats outside and not overload existing tiger habitats, as it happens all too often.”

Wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Mr Shekar Dattatri said, “The SC has reportedly banned tourism from the core zones of all tiger reserves across India, and not just TN. I think the indiscipline wildlife tourism industry has only itself to blame for this order of the apex court.

“Wildlife activists and biologists have been demanding regularisation of wildlife tourism for several years and it’s a respite to the depleting Indian wildlife resource. One can easily sight uncontrolled movement of tourists in fragile wildlife habitats like Valparai and Kalakad. The news would be welcoming for nature lovers,” said Mr K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan, founder of The Nature Trust.