Wayanad: The forest department personnel arrested four persons from Rajasthan for dumping around 30 goat carcasses in the Alathur reserve forest under the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday.

The accused—Sadan (28), Musthaque (51), Nadhu (52), and Irfan (34)—were transporting goats from Rajasthan to Kerala, targeting the Ramzan festival market.

Out of the 300 goats, 30 died during transit, officials said.
The forest department also seized the truck, which had a national permit (RJ 19 GG 0567), that was used to transport the goats. According to officials, many of the goats were emaciated due to a lack of food, and some were seriously ill.

Sources in the forest department revealed that animal transporters often dump dead animals in bushy areas along forest roads. Numerous cases have been registered, and several individuals have been fined for violating forest laws, a forest official said.

Though similar incidents have occurred in the past, this is the first time such a large number of dead animals have been dumped in the forest, officials added.

There have also been instances where dead goats were transported from Karnataka to Kerala markets, prompting health officials to intercept the vehicles, seize the carcasses, and take the vehicles into custody.

Abandoning animal carcasses in the forest is a blatant violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. According to North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Martin Lowell, all four accused from Rajasthan have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. He added that a hefty fine would be imposed on the accused to release the vehicles, as there are multiple violations, including illegal waste dumping in forests, trespassing, and posing a threat to wildlife safety, as the carcasses may carry deadly viruses and bacteria.

"If it were a minor incident, like throwing paper or food items into the forest while travelling, we would impose a ₹2,000 fine," Martin Lowell said, adding that violations of this magnitude must be adequately punished.