Mar 28 2015 : The Times of India (Chennai)

Forest dept yet to explain why NGO member fired at bear

Shantha Thiagarajan

Udhagamandalam: TNN





The controversy over an NGO member being the first to fire a weapon during the hunt for a bear that killed a woman in Kotagiri has raised more questions that foresters seem unable to answer. Why was an NGO member carrying a weapon and why was he allowed to fire it?
Wildlife & Nature Conservation Trust (WNCT) founder N Sadiq Ali had accompanied the team of forest officials who were trying to capture the bear, which ended up attacking two foresters. District forest officer of Nilgiris north division K Soundarapandian, who led the operation, said Ali had fired the first shot as “the bear was on top of one of our staff “.

The DFO added that the gun was Ali's licensed personal weapon and he carried it to guard himself. “Given the situation, it was on our instruction that he shot at the animal. However, the bullet did not pierce it but scraped the bear. He carried his personal gun for self defence,“ he said. Sadiq Ali is authorized by the chief wildlife warden to assist in wildlife operations.

The greater question is whether a civilian can carry a weapon, licensed or not, and fire at an animal under the Wildlife Act, 1972. The act bans killing or injuring endangered creatures but legal experts say there is no mention of activist observers being allowed to carry guns within reserve forest areas or during a wildlife rescue operation even it is conducted outside a reserve forest area. They said even a forest official cannot carry hisher personal gun during an operation or inside a reserve forest area.

A senior forest officer said, “If forest officers have to shoot a Schedule I animal [endangered species protected under the act] because all methods of capture have failed and it is a danger to humans, they have to get permission from the chief wildlife warden in writing. A DFO rank officer cannot instruct or order an activist to shoot the animal. “ Conservator of forests C Anawaruddin declined to comment saying the operation was headed by the DFO concerned. The chief wildlife warden did not respond to calls from TOI.

NGO condemns shooting

The Nilgiri Wildlife and Environment Association, while condemning the shooting incident, has clarified that N Sadiq Ali is a lifetime member of their organisation and not an executive committee member as mentioned in TOI on Friday.

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