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Thirty-two wild boars died of sweltering heat and suffocation after poachers crammed 127 animals into two vehicles while they were being smuggled into Punjab from Rajasthan, police said Friday.
The Ludhiana Rural Police, after specific inputs, rescued the pigs, loaded them into two vans, and arrested six suspects, including five from Rajasthan who were transporting the animals.
The animals were allegedly brought to Ludhiana for meat and other purposes, the police said, adding that the sixth accused, a Ludhiana resident, was allegedly escorting the vehicles on two wheels. However, all of them were immediately released on bail.
Sub-Inspector Piyara Singh, the investigating officer in the case, said that they had received information that a gang of poachers was transporting wild boars from Rajasthan in two vehicles. “The vehicles were caught while moving from Raikot towards Ludhiana. They were being accompanied by a man on a motorbike. We contacted the wildlife team and upon counting, 127 wild boars were found crammed inside the two vehicles. However, due to excessive heat and overload, 32 animals died. A team of veterinarians has been called in to examine the 95 pigs that are still alive,” said the assistant inspector.
He added that the bad smell was emanating from the two cars. “Timely intervention helped save the other 95 pigs. The animals were hunted from the jungles of Rajasthan and were destined for illegal sale in Punjab for meat and other items. Most of them are sub-adults,” he said.
The accused have been identified as Manohar and Murlidhar Teji from Ganganagar, Bajrang Lal and Anil from Bikaner and Sonu from Jodhpur – all from Rajasthan. Accompanying the vehicles was Johnny from Model Town, Ludhiana, who was on a bicycle.
FIR has been registered under Sections 2, 9, 39, 48, 48-A, 50 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 11-A of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and 428, 429 of the IPC against the accused at Sudhar Police Station.
Pritpal Singh, Range Officer, Forest and Wildlife Department, said the rescued pigs have been taken to the rescue center near Neelon where they are being cared for.
We feed them potatoes and other nutritious feeds for their speedy recovery. They will be released into the wild after the court allows it. Since they were rescued in Punjab, they will most likely not be sent back to Rajasthan.
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