The motto: 'Protection above all'

The motto: 'Protection above all'

Views: 3589 | July 31, 2018

On International Rangers’ Day, we salute the courage and commitment of forest staff. Here is an example of one such young forest officer working in the Chikmagalur forest range in Karnataka.

Shilpa S L, RFO of Chikmagalur forest range.

In just over a month, she has booked six cases of forest offences and arrested more than 20 offenders. The cases range from porcupine hunting to timber logging to an illegal car rally inside the forest.

“Whoever is involved in illegal work, whether it be poaching or timber logging inside the forest, I will take action. It doesn’t matter who it is,” says the gutsy, young RFO of Chikmagalur forest range, Shilpa S L.

Shilpa realizes that things are unpredictable and with the political pressure she could be transferred, but she is ready for that. In fact, just a few weeks ago she rubbed shoulders the wrong way with a “big shot” who was involved in organizing a car rally inside the Churchegudda state forest. More than 100 cars with four-wheel drives participated in the rally. Shilpa has given notice to the organizers and will book a case after an inquiry.

This forest officer has no qualms whatsoever in the discharge of her duty. “Protection is my priority,” she says.

Her day begins early at 6 am when Shilpa goes out cycling for 3-5 km. An avid cyclist and nature lover, she tries not to miss this routine. Then follows the housework. She has decided not to employ the services of a cook or maid and does all the chores herself and sets off to work by 9.30.

RFO and team with apprehended members of Hakki Pikki tribe booked for hunting birds © G Veeresh/WildCat-C

Usually, it is paperwork to be followed up in the office but at times there are the calls from the field. Today, it was a call from a coffee estate about a leopard whose forelimbs were caught in a snare that sends her rushing to the rescue.

Thankfully, the leopard has managed to rescue itself and flee into the wilderness.

Sometimes information comes in about illegal operations. A few days ago, it was about a gang of hunters from neighbouring Chittoor district of AP. She is off in the office jeep towards Kalasapura reserve forest. The team manages to apprehend all nine hunters with two dead porcupines in their possession.

All the nine caught were working as labour with the Karnataka Forest Development Board/Corporation on a plantation.

The modus operandi of the hunter gang was to block the den and smoke out the porcupines. They used iron rods and sticks to skin the animals and prepare the meat for consumption. Shilpa and team have registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the offenders are in judicial custody. Foresters Deepak, Venkatesh, Rekha, Sidappa, Shivakumar, Nandish, Vasanth and Mohammed worked with Shilpa to get the nine arrested.

Shilpa has registered two cases against eight sandalwood smugglers, arrested two bird hunters, and registered a case on sambar deer poaching. She was also involved in rescuing a tusker that was transported illegally from Assam to Kerala and finally to Chikmagalur for timber logging in a coffee estate.

The team seized timber, arrested smugglers © G Veeresh/WildCat-C

And all that has happened in a single month.

Initially, the staff was reluctant to book cases due to the hassles involved. But now she has managed to inspire confidence in them. “Any time of the day or night, if called I go out and that has made them more confident that I will stand by them.”

She reminds her staff about the countless unemployed people in the country and calls upon them to do justice to the money they are paid a salary. Above all, justice to their job which is to protect nature and the animals, she adds.

Shilpa is aware that the salaries of the frontline staff in the department are low. “If you watch our ground staff in the forest you will notice they don’t even wear shoes or carry any arms.” She parts with a bit of her salary now and then to get some of the poorer staff few basic needs like shoes, etc.

The department is poorly equipped in dealing with any emergencies like forest fires and facilities available to the staff are often inadequate in the dispensation of duty, Shilpa says in reply to a query on the biggest challenge. But despite all the disadvantages, she wouldn’t be anywhere else.

RFO and team arrests porcupine poachers © G Veeresh/WildCat-C

Having had opportunities to make more money by working for organisations like Mangalore Chemical & Fertilisers, Food Corporation of India, the ESI and a bank, this post graduate in agriculture turned down the offers. She wanted to be part of the forest force. Inspired by her father who joined as a forest guard and retired as a deputy RFO, and by her mother, a home maker who egged her on to achieve something, Shilpa had a go at the IFS exams as also the state department exams. But failed to make it past the interviews.

While she “desperately” wanted to join the department, she wanted to do it on her own merit and not by using influence or money. After a training with the Uttarakhand Forest Training Academy, she joined the department in July 2016 and worked first in the Central Timber Depot at Kukke Subramanya. It was in January this year that she was posted to Chikmagalur.

Hailing from Kolar, a dry place with scanty rainfall and vegetation, Shilpa says she is keen to work and protect the forests of the Western Ghats. We wish her and many others like her success in their endeavours to protect wildlife and wild places.

Photo credits: Rujan Sarkar (Cover)

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