Animals handed over, 7 more crocodiles die

By Our Staff Reporter

KANNUR, DEC. 13. Forest officials today completed the process of handing over the confiscated reptiles and animals to the Parassinikkadavu Snake Park authorities as directed by an interim order of the Kerala High Court, even as seven more crocodile hatchlings were found dead in captivity of the Forest Department.

The park site witnessed some conundrum in the morning when a UDF team led by the Congress(I) leader, Mr. Oommen Chandy, was stopped at the park entrance by Forest officials citing the High Court order that the park would remain closed for public. With senior Forest officers being found nowhere near the park, the leaders were later allowed to see the animals by the Taliparamba Range Officer, Mr. K.V. Uthaman.

The fresh death of seven crocodile hatchlings in the morning was yet another blow to the Forest officials involved in the operation of confiscating the animals. Crocodiles being wildlife species under Scheduled I category under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the officials were apprehensive about a possible prosecution they might face. A section of the Forest officials involved in the closure of the park also felt let down by senior officers, including Dr. Mehar Sing, Wildlife Conservator, Northern Region, who `conveniently' absented themselves leaving the task of firefighting to junior officers. This section also expressed concern about the possibility of fixing the blame for the higher officials' faux pas on some `scapegoats'.

The High Court direction to handover the confiscated animals to the park authorities to be kept in their original cages under the supervision of a three-member team of Forest officials was implemented today in the presence of Mr. A. Padmanabhan, Aralam Wildlife Warden, who is one of the supervising members, and Mr. M. Ramesh, manager and administrative officer of the Pappinissery Visha Chikitsa Society which runs the park. The animals, reptiles and birds were handed over after preparing an inventory of these animals.

Forest sources said that the handing over of the animals to the park authorities completed by afternoon. Admitting that some of the confiscated animals were not in good health condition, they said the condition of each and every animal was recorded in detail in the inventory.

In another development, a group of Youth Congress(I) workers stormed into the Office of the Divisional Forest Office and gheraoed the DFO, Mr. O. Jayaraj, at around 1 p.m. The police removed the agitators after half-an-hour.

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Section  : Southern States
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