Bengaluru a trade route for blackbuck skin smugglers

Poachers kill the animals on the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border and then the smugglers come into the picture

Police busted a network of blackbuck poachers last week. The trade flourishes in the city, say senior investigating officers.

Lokesh Narayanappa and Yarriswamy were caught near the Sarakki market when they were waiting for customers to sell blackbuck skin.

“Two blackbucks were killed in the Palur forest area in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, and smuggled into the city in a goods van,” says Harish Pandey, DCP, south division.

The police acted on a tip off, and posed as customers to catch the smugglers, he told Metrolife. Blackbucks, called Krishna mriga in Kannada, are caught for their skin and antlers, both of which are believed to bring good luck.

“In the recent case, the smugglers had sewn the skin into a carpet and were dispatching it to Chennai. They had stitched it in such a way that the skin was not visible. They were expecting a profit of Rs 1 lakh from the sale,” he says.

Blackbuck hide and antlers fetch 10 to 15 times more in the international market. They are sent to countries like China and Taiwan, he says.

The police are still on the lookout for the arrested men’s accomplices in Chennai. “We had a team travel to Chennai, but the men are absconding,” he says.

Sharath Babu R, wildlife conservationist, has repeatedly written letters to the authorities about how the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 is frequently violated, especially in north Karnataka and in Bengaluru, with autos sporting blackbuck antlers as a trophy.

“The blackbuck does not naturally discard or shed its horns. The animal has to be poached to harvest the horns,” he says. Blackbucks are hunted on the Andhra-Karnataka border and are sighted in large numbers in Kolar district, where the government is planning a sanctuary. They are being protected at the Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary in Haveri and Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation Reserve in Tumakuru.

Last year witnessed the biggest haul of blackbuck skin when 22 skins were found in Koppal. “The trade route is always Bengaluru,” he says.

Earlier, some residents of RR Nagar and Vidyaranyapura in Bengaluru, were caught keeping blackbucks as pets, observes Sharath Babu. He says that blackbucks as pets are found in large numbers in north Karnataka. “They must understand that the animals are endangered and must be protected,” he says.

Watch them closely

Convictions will go up only when investigating officers work in a concerted manner, say conservationists.

“They have to track the backward links. For instance, if there are holes on the hide, they have to find out how the animal was shot and find what weapon was used. They have to reconstruct the crime scene, which most officers don’t,” says conservationist Sharath Babu.

Fact file

It is the only living species of the genus antelope.

It has an average lifespan of 12 years.

The animal is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.

It is listed as an endangered species under Schedule 1.

It is hunted for its skin, meat and spiral horns.