Protectors of Gir forests to get training on wildlife crimes

Rajkot: The foresters and guards, who have been tirelessly working in jungles to protect wild animals including the majestic Asiatic lions, will be better equipped to keep an eye on those resorting to illegal lion shows as well as poachers.
The Gir West division of the wildlife circle has initiated arms training for its 155 forest guards and foresters, along with classroom sessions, to upskill them for better preparedness in handling wildlife offences.
This division includes crucial lion habitats in Junagadh and Gir-Somnath districts and the Gir National Park. The training, conducted by the police department, is being held in batches of 20 people and will continue until August. The program includes arms training and classroom sessions on legal procedures such as filing offense reports, gathering evidence, identifying and preparing witnesses, recording statements, and preparing charge sheets.
The training idea was mooted considering the increasing number of the illegal lion shows in this wildlife-rich area as well as those caught carrying out such acts walking free despite committing serious offences due to lack of evidence.
Last month, where four people who were arrested by the social forestry range in 2018 in Maliya for harassing lions, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence. This verdict prompted the forest department to reassess its own shortcomings.
The forest department has also sought the assistance of the police department to provide arms training and legal procedural training to its staff. The training aims to enhance the staff’s ability to handle unforeseen incidents and improve the conviction ratio in wildlife-related cases.
Prashant Tomar, deputy conservator of forest, Gir West, said, “This exercise intends to prepare the staff for any unforeseen incident. This area is sensitive and vulnerable to poaching. The staff was given arms training when they joined the department but recurring training is necessary.”
According to the data table in the state assembly, the government informed that 12 cases of illegal lion shows were reported in 2022-23 from within the Gir National Park and its surrounding areas, as compared to just one in 2020-21.
Tomar added, “The staff is aware of the Wildlife Protection Act but when the procedural part like recording the witnesses' statement, gathering evidence, producing the evidence in the court, filing affidavits, chargesheets, the rules of Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have to be followed. The police regularly do this procedure, and they can train our staff in this aspect to increase our conviction ratio.”