Four people were arrested in Angul after a wild boar was killed by a bait bomb in Biripal reserved forest, while forest officials seized six crude explosives during a night anti-poaching patrol on Tuesday. The operation has highlighted the continuing threat posed by explosive-laced food traps in Odisha’s forest areas.
The arrests were made in Gandamala beat under the Rengali section of Kaniha range by the Rengali forester and his team, according to forest officials. The patrol recovered the dead male wild boar, six bait bombs and a motorcycle allegedly used by the accused.
The arrested men were identified as Ripun Kumar Matiari of Parachhat village, Jogeswar Penthoi of Ditikrushnapur, Malia Penthoi of Parachhat and Khetra Kisan of Purunapani. The seized material and the motorcycle were taken to the Kaniha range office for legal action, the report said.
Angul divisional forest officer Nitish Kumar said the investigation would examine where the explosives came from and how they were prepared. “The bombs were seized and probe is on to find out how and where those had been made. Also, the scene was recreated to understand how the four poachers planted the bomb to lure the boar,” Kumar said.
Bait bombs are concealed inside edible material and detonate when an animal bites into them. Unlike conventional traps, they can cause severe injuries inside an animal’s mouth and create a risk for any species that encounters the bait. In this case, officials said the seizure of the remaining six bombs may have prevented further wildlife casualties in the forest.
The incident also places attention on the enforcement challenge facing forest divisions where patrol teams must identify traps before animals or people encounter them. The operation was conducted at night in a reserved forest, and the investigation will now focus on the alleged poaching method and the source of the explosives.
The Angul case follows a similar bait bomb incident reported about two months ago at Banki, on the fringes of Chandaka wildlife sanctuary. In that case, a bull reportedly consumed a bait bomb intended for a wild boar. The explosive detonated inside the animal’s mouth, causing catastrophic injuries, and the bull later died despite veterinary treatment.
Forest officials said intensified patrolling and strict enforcement would continue across forest areas in Angul division. The next steps in the present case include tracing the origin of the explosives, documenting how the traps were planted and pursuing legal action against the four arrested men.
