VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, Jan 13: A team from the forest department has recovered a dead bluebuck from Pathlautia Dodha forest near Kevalia village in Bharahi panchayat of Pratapapur block in Chatra. The incident forced the department to start a probe to know the exact reason behind the death of the animal.
Officials said they got the information from villagers about the killing of the animal. They said villagers even confirmed hearing gunshots late Wednesday night.
They said on Thursday afternoon, they got this information after which a team was sent to the area. They found the dead animal with wounds visible on its neck.
Moreover, Pratappur range officer Rajvallabh Paswan said hunters are using barbed wires to trap wild animals.
“There is a high possibility that the animal got trapped in such wires resulting in injuries on the neck followed by its death. We are probing the matter,” he added.
Sources said that the number of bluebucks has increased in the last few years in Pratappur. Villagers are facing problems from them as they are eating standing crops resulting in huge losses to them every year.
However. what worries the forest department is that the meat of the animal is being sold in the local market as deer’s meat. Due to this, hunters are killing them regularly making the forest department remain alert so as to put a check on such practices.
