Stop Treating Injured Wildlife in Karnataka: Gubbi

Bengaluru: Noticing increase in cases of treatment administered to injured wild animals in protected areas by forest veterinarians has made a conservationist biologist Sanjay Gubbi to dash off a letter to Minister for Forests and Environment Eshwar Khandre to initiate steps to discontinue treatment to wild animals due to natural reasons within in protected areas such as national parks and sanctuaries and he observed “The needs of wildlife are much different from domestic animals.”

However, the conservationist said treatment to injured wild animals due to unnatural reasons such as trapped in snares, knocked down by vehicles, attack by feral dogs among others be continued to wildlife.

One of the prominent case of treatment meted to an injured wild animal in Karnataka was in Nagarahole National Park, spread across Mysuru and Kodagu districts, about two years back where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a safari in the Park came across an injured elephant calf and wrote a letter to then Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to act. Rahul Gandhi’s letter was attended by a team of veterinarians.

In a letter, Gubbi, a former State Wildlife Board member, observed a spurt in treating injured wildlife due to natural reasons and stated injuries or mortality of wild animals due to natural reasons such as injured by other wild animal attacks, injuries by thorns, among other cases are important of part of natural cycle.

He explained to the Minister wild animals, in case of injuries, have their own way of treating injuries or succumb to injuries and pointed out “Such deaths help numerous wildlife species such as vultures, hyenas, many arthropods among others that are dependent on wildlife carcasses for their food. Besides, wildlife carcasses help improve soil fertility by supplying nitrogen, phosphorous among other nutrients to assist the growth of plants and trees in the forests.

The Minister has been asked by the conservationist to take a scientific view and issue an order to discontinue treating wild animals due to natural reasons especially within protected areas.

A wildlife activist in Chamarajnagar told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday forest officials have started to meddle with the natural process in wildlife habitats and referred to an incident where an injured tiger was caught in Gundre range of Bandipur National Park about two-years back and shifted to a rehabilitation centre. The injured tiger died en route.

The activist said the tiger was critical and would have met its natural death had officials exercised restraint but they intervened. Such instances of catching injured predators such as tigers and leopards have become frequent in national parks and sanctuaries in the State.

Minister for Forests and Environment Eshwar Khandre did not respond to repeated phone calls.