Poachers call the shots in Athagarh forests

ATHAGARH: Athagarh Forest Division, one of the largest of its kind in the State having five forest ranges - Athagarh, Khuntuni, Baramba, Narsinghpur (East) and Narsinghpur (West) - has come under the clutches of mafia and poachers.Everyday more than hundreds of years old trees are being cut illegally in broad daylight and transported to cities through road, rail and the Mahanadi  waterways by mafias.This apart, sources said wild animals are fleeing the jungles unable to bear the rising heat. The deer, sambars and wild boars, which stray into human habitations looking for water, are falling prey to poachers. In the last 15 days, as many as five deer have died within Subashi area of the forest limits. And in every case, the Forest Department officials have washed their hands of stating that it was either by dog bite or due to thirst. On Saturday, a deer was found dead near Gaudajhari village with bullet marks on its body.Environmentalists and wildlife activists have demanded immediate steps to protect the jungles, home to rare medicinal plants and wild animals.