Officials at the Divisional Forestry Office in Mugu have been dogged by a strange problem caused by a dog.
On March 28, the Division Forestry Office arrested four people for their alleged involvement in poaching. They were accompanied by a hunting dog, which was also arrested along with them.
The Division Forestry Bureau prosecuted the four individuals – Chyampa Tamang, Dawa Choden Tamang, Tashi Tamang and Chimek Tamang from Mugum Karmarong – on charges of poaching.
On May 26, the Mugu District Court decided to release Chyampa and her son Dawa on bail of Rs 70,000 each, while Tashi and Chimek were released on the general date.
No warrant was issued for the dog as he was not named as a defendant.
Forestry officials are now up a gum tree and perplexed as to what to do with the furry animal that has been in their custody for the past two and a half months.
Since the forestry office had only filed one case against four suspected poachers, the court did not rule on the dog, according to court officials.
Bidhya Raj Budha, information officer at the Mugu District Court, said the word ‘dog’ was not mentioned in the recorded poaching case.
“Then how can the court decide?” Buddha said.
Dawa Choorden in his court statement had said that he saw a ghoral (Himalayan goral, goat-antelope) grazing while he was on his way to the nearby water mill. He turned around and went to his house to get his hunting dog to kill the squirrel.