It wasn’t a simple New Year celebration for the 11 arrested from Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary on 1st Jan. Displaying a total lack of sensitivity and fear for the law, the 11 techies from reputed software companies in Bangalore killed two Sambar deer.

“It is an act of cruelty. People can’t go to sanctuaries and kill animals for fun. This is no way to celebrate New Year’s. We are all trying to protect wild animals, and it is shameful that this has happened. Three techies from Infosys have been identified,” says Arun Prasad, Secretary, Mudumalai Wildlife and Nature Protection Society.

“One of them is a gold medallist in shooting. The Sambar is a large deer, native to the Indian subcontinent. They have no business killing animals like this. They ought to be punished for what they have done,” adds Prasad. When contacted, Superintendent Officer, Dharmappa said, “Yes, 11 arrests have been made. They have killed two Sambar deer. Details are still being looked into.”

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the midst of Western Ghats in Chikamagalur and Shimoga districts of Karnataka. It is about 275 kms from Bangalore and 38 kms from Chikamagalur town, and covers an area of 492.46 kms. It boasts of a substantial tiger population and was declared as the 25th Project Tiger Reserve of India in 1998.