Imphal, Nov. 30
Forest and Environment Minister Thounaojam Shyamkumar yesterday appealed to the public to refrain from killing wildlife animals in the aftermath of the mysterious killings of domestic livestock. He said a proper investigation report will be made soon as a team of experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun are schedule to arrive in Imphal in next two to three days.
Minister Shyamkumar said as per preliminary reports, it is suspected that the civet cats are behind the killings of the domestic wildlife across many parts of the State including Churachandpur, Imphal East, Kakching and Kangpokpi. He also said that civet cats are found at large at the valley areas although they are not dangerous to human beings.
Experts from the State including forensic experts are finding out the truth and the team of the Forest Department task force are taking up necessary steps at various strategic locations. The team will study the eating patterns of various animals at the Manipur Zoological Garden from yesterday night. He said unless the final report is submitted by the wildlife experts regarding the predator, no concrete action can be implemented.
Appealing to the people of the State to protect the wildlife of the State, he said it is not justified to kill animals merely out of suspicion. He further said the Forest Department and teams of other departments are jointly working in the investigation and hoped that the truth will be brought out at the earliest.