Camera traps set to return to Corbett

DEHRADUN: A senior forest department officer has written to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for reinstalling camera traps in Corbett Tiger Reserve.

The decision came after head of forest force (HoFF) RK Mahajan was deployed to conduct a probe into the confiscation of five tiger skins in March last year. After the plea of former wildlife warden of Rajaji Rajeev Mehta in April, forest minister Harak Singh Rawat had directed Mahajan to investigate the case. Mahajan, in his first step, wrote to WII for reinstalling camera traps in Corbett which was halted after the last year’s case.

“I have asked the institute to reinstall camera traps that were stopped in March last year after the skin seizure was reported,” Mahajan told Hindustan Times.

The camera traps were discontinued after WII told media that four of the five tiger skins were from Corbett. Sources claimed Corbett officials severed ties with WII after the institute’s statement that four tigers were killed for their skins. “WII has been doing regular camera trapping in the reserve. Why was the system withdrawn after this seizure? No matter how much knowledge the field staff gain, there’s no replacement of scientific technology and the tiger database maintained by WII,” Mehta said.

Mehta had submitted papers to Rawat sharing details of each of the seized tiger skins. He alleged that forest officers had tried to cover up the matter.

The reserve management didn’t conduct Phase IV monitoring, an annual exercise under the rules set by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The then Corbett management gave Phase IV monitoring a miss in 2015-16.