Two men of a five-member hunting team that allegedly poached a fully pregnant sambar deer in Kalladikode forest area under Mannarkkad Forest Division were arrested on Sunday. Three others escaped as the Forest department surveillance team zeroed in on the poaching team.
A postmortem conducted on the four-year-old female sambar deer killed by the team found that it was days away from giving birth to a fawn. Veterinary surgeon David Abraham led the necropsy, and removed the foetus.
The forest team on special surveillance duty led by K. Manoj, deputy range officer of Palakkayam, heard the sound of gunshots from Kalladikode forest on Saturday night and launched a search.
While Bony and Thankachan alias Kuriakose were caught, Santhosh Kanjirampara, Biju Akkamattam, and Binu Melappayyani escaped, leaving behind the sambar deer.
Local residents said those involved in poaching were active members of the Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA). Santhosh Kanjirampara is district secretary of the Kerala Congress (M).
Forest officials said that a farm belonging to Thankachan adjoining the forest land was used for hiding and processing poached meat.
Range Forest Officer N. Zubair had strengthened the vigil in the area after a recent poaching incident of a wild gaur reported from Kalladikkode.
