Eight bats killed for meat, four arrested

Tumakuru: Karnataka Forest Department officials have arrested four people in connection with the killing of eight bats for meat in Tumakuru district.

The arrested were identified as Ranganath, Ramakrishna, Shivashankar and Ranga, residents of Hombalampete near Magadi town. The accused had killed eight bats in a farm in Kadarmanahalli.

Acting on a tip-off, Huliyurudurga range forest officials reached the spot and caught the accused and confiscated the bats killed for meat. Further investigation is going on in this matter.

The Central Government had amended the Wildlife Protection Act under which common crows, fruit bats and rats have been placed under the protected category Schedule II. According to the amendment passed by Parliament, killing of animals included in the protected list can be punished with imprisonment of up to three years and a fine of up to Rs 25,000.

–IANS