Sheopur (Madhya Pradesh): There is a famous saying that great fame is often followed by big challenges. The return of cheetahs to India after 70 years is a matter of great pride and fame for the country and it is now becoming very challenging for the forest department officials to protect the wildlife and the recently arrived cheetahs in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
According to a piece of information, the increasing activity of poachers in Kuno and the incidents of hunting of wildlife have been coming to the fore for the past months. The ever-rising cases of hunting are raising questions about the safety of the Namibia-arrived cheetahs.
Ramesh Singh Sikarwar, an elder of the villages settled around Kuno and a former goon who has been appointed as the 'Cheetah Mitra' talked about wildlife being a victim of poaching in the dark of night in Kuno.
Ramesh Sikarwar is known as a head of a gang of bandits who surrendered to the police in 1984. He reportedly once killed 13 cowherds in a day and has around 91 cases of kidnapping and murder against his name. The 72-year-old’s knowledge of forest has helped to be designated as a Cheetah Mitra.
However, DFO Prakash Verma cut shorts all the allegations saying that all the victims of hunting and poaching have happened outside Kuno.
When contacted Ramesh Singh Sikarwar, he expressed his concern over the safety of the wildlife in Kuno. "The forest department officials do not keep vigil inside the coons at night. Hunters of Mogia species living in the villages of the forest, after hunting go out overnight to meet other demands of meat."
"Such incidents happen every day. The meat of rabbit to black deer is easily available to hunters. The officials of the department are also aware of this, but they are unable to crack down on the poachers. The forest workers care more about their own lives than the wild animals, so they do not mess with the poachers," adds he.
Listing precautionary measures, Ramesh Singh Sikarwar says that the hunters of Mogiya caste, who live in the forest by building houses, should be settled in another place.
"The government should revoke the license of their guns and it should be confiscated. I have also appealed to the officers to deploy 1-2 youths from nearby villages for the protection of the Kuno, aiming that along with the youth, the whole village will stand up to fight the poachers."
