IMPHAL, February 9 (Agencies): Reacting sharply against the recent killing of a brow-antlered deer also known as Sangai at Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur`s Bishnupur district by two poachers, People for Animals (PFA) India chairperson Maneka Gandhi said the two should be given the severest punishment the law allows.
Also known as `dancing deer`, Sangai falls under Schedule 1, which is a list of the most endangered animal species of the nation under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA). The population of rare deer as recorded in 2003 was 180.
Manipur forest guards caught poachers L Kripa and H Lukhoi red-handed while they were dressing the meat on a Sangai carcass at Keibul Lamjao, the biggest floating park in the world, last week.
On Wednesday, the Chief judicial magistrate (Bishnupur), while rejecting the bail application filed by the two, remanded them in judicial custody for 15 days.
In a letter sent to PFA Thoubal, Maneka said the poachers should be jailed for as many years as the law allows as murder is a heinous crime and the murder of a rare species is even more heinous.
PFA Thoubal informed Maneka that the shocking incident occurred just a few days after its wildlife campaign was launched. In a reply letter written by PFA`s managing trustee, Lourembam Biswajeet Meitie, the animal lovers group from Manipur emphasized the need to amend the WPA and its penalties to ensure the culprits do not dare repeat such a crime in the future.