Forest department arrests 12 trekkers for treading into Sahyadri tiger reserve

Planning to go on a trek? Please look before you tread. Ignorance of law turned out to be the bane of a group of amateur trekkers from Pune and Solapur who walked into the prohibited area of the Sahyadri tiger reserve (STR).

The group of 12 was arrested by the forest department officials in the Koyna wildlife sanctuary, which is part of the STR, and let off by a local court on bail. There are stringent restrictions on accessing the core of protected areas like the STR, which are critical tiger and wildlife habitats that have to be kept inviolate for the purpose of tiger conservation.

Dr Vinita Vyas, deputy director (wildlife), STR, said the trekkers were nabbed by the patrolling staff. "However, they were not poachers. No weapons were recovered from them," she added. "These trekkers came to the core area of the STR in the Koyna wildlife sanctuary using a foot trail. They were preparing to camp in the Shirsinge area when our team nabbed them," said Suresh Salunkhe, assistant conservator of forests (ACF), STR. The incident happened on Monday evening.

The 12 trekkers, who belong to Pune and Solapur, were arrested and produced before a local court, which released them on a bail bond of Rs 15,000 each, he added. Many of these trekkers work with an automobile major.

Salunkhe stressed on the need to create awareness about not transgressing into such no-go areas. If found guilty, the accused can be punished with imprisonment for a term up to three years and/ or Rs 25,000 fine.