Meat bombs

Poachers have started using ‘meat bombs’ to hunt endangered birds and animals in Auroville, the international township near Puducherry spread over a lush green countryside in Villupuram district. This is also posing a danger to walkers and trekkers in the area.
The shocking practice came to the light last week when a pet dog of Auroville resident Rik Poot was killed when it attempted to consume the meat rolled over a crude explosive device. Poot had taken the dog for a walk. Fortunately, he escaped unhurt as he was a few metres away when the explosion took place.
Poachers make ‘meat bombs’ by rolling meat over country bombs and keep them in secluded forest regions to hunt wild birds and animals. They prefer ‘meat bombs’ to rifles or wire traps as it is easy to hunt without being caught by forest officials or residents.
Auroville houses several wild birds and animals, including porcupines, civet cats, jackals, hares, monitor lizards and peacocks. Poaching of birds and animals had been reported in Auroville earlier and a few residents recollected spotting carcasses of jackals killed by the poachers using meat-coated bombs a couple of years ago.
“After planting meat bombs, the poachers will wait for the explosion and later rush to the spot to recover the dead birds or animals. They will escape if any local people spot the dead birds or animals first,” an animal rights activist said.
Moreover, meat bombs in Auroville pose a serious threat to the lives of trekkers and walkers. “It was a heart-breaking experience to see my dog die in a brutal manner,” Poot lamented.
Animal rights activists alleged that a band of gypsies settled at Karuvadikuppam has started poaching birds and animals in Auroville, after they lost their livelihood as rag pickers when a dump yard was shifted from Karuvadikuppam to Kurumbapet.
A team of forest officials from Villupuram district visited the spot and made preliminary inquiries. The officials promised to step up the vigil.