Adilabad: Poachers targeting wild boars and antelopes with crude bombs, locally known as ‘Natu Bambulu,’ have sparked alarm in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. In two separate incidents over the past week, bullocks in Thatinagar village of Kautala mandal accidentally ingested these bombs, resulting in fatal explosions. Both incidents occurred in the Sirpur (T) Assembly Constituency area.
One of the affected farmers, Rathnam Tirupati, lost a bullock worth ₹60, 000 while working on his jowar fields. He blamed the poachers for laying crude bombs intended for wild boars, saying cattle are becoming unwitting victims. Tirupati appealed to forest officials and police to increase surveillance on poachers and provide compensation for the loss. “It’s extremely difficult to carry out farming without bullocks,” he lamented.
Villagers in the district accuse forest staff of failing to monitor poacher activity, which intensifies in summer when wildlife such as wild boars, antelopes, and even tigers and leopards move closer to water sources. The Kagaznagar forest division on the state border experiences frequent tiger movement, heightening concerns as animals seek water in dried-up forest areas during scorching temperatures.
Residents warn that crude bombs not only threaten livestock but also endanger tigers and leopards, which could eat them while foraging. They urge the forest department to clean streams, natural water holes, and create saucer pits filled using solar-powered pumps in Nirmal, Mancherial, Komaram Bheem Asifabad, and Adilabad districts – all areas with frequent wildlife movement. This, they say, would reduce the need for animals to venture near human settlements and fall prey to poachers’ traps.
