Holding the credit of being the first woman Range Forest Officer of coffee land Chikkamagaluru, S L Shilpa has filed 150 cases in two years. Out of these cases, 31 are pertaining to the poaching of wild animals.
With a great concern towards environment conservation, Shilpa did her B.Sc and M.Sc in Agriculture in Mandya and GKVK, Bengaluru respectively. She completed her education till PU, in her native place Kolar. Her father Lakshminarasimhaiah too, had been a RFO, who has now reached superannuation. Shilpa’s mother Akkayyamma is a teacher.
She got appointed as the RFO in December 2014 and underwent training in Uttarakhand. Her first placement was in the Timber Depot of Kukke Subrahmanya Temple in Dakshina Kannada district, for 14 months. After working in Hebri in Udupi district, she was transferred to Chikkamagaluru region and has been serving since January 19, 2018.
S L Shilpa has made her mark by initiating stern action against forest poachers. More than 60 cases have been filed by her against the encroachment of forest land and illegal felling of trees. Under her guidance, the forest department personnel have seized tortoises, sand boa, owl and other animals, which were poached by the wrongdoers. “All these cases will be taken to a logical end so that the accused are punished.”
She said it is sad that various superstitious beliefs connected with wild animals, are behind the illegal poaching and possession of wild animals such as owls and sand boa. Most of the accused are youth, who are misled by some ‘kingpins’. Many people think it is fashionable to wear animal teeth and skin, which is unfortunate.
Various programmes are being conducted to create awareness among people about forests, wildlife and forest act, RFO Shilpa said.
“It takes a lot of courage to be a forest official, especially when the officer is a woman as forest officers are expected to work in shifts and face tough challenges during their work. I have always stood against illegalities and have not made any compromises,” she added.