Honey stolen from Corbett National Park

Nainital, June 23 (ANI): Forest Department officials and rangers of Jim Corbett National Park have arrested three persons on charges of setting fire in the forest for scaring away the bees from their hives and collect honey.

"When our staff members woke up, they saw smoke coming out of the forest. When they went out to check they saw two persons sitting under a tree and another one on the tree, who was extracting honey from the beehive. They then held those persons," said D S Rawat, Superintendent, Corbett National Park, Ramnagar, Uttarakhand.

Admitting their guilt, one of the arrested persons said that the smoke emitted by the fire would keep the bees at bay and let them collect honey from the hives on treetops.

"We take some green leaves and then light them, after which smoke comes out, which chases the bees away and we take out the honey," said Lalan, one of the arrested persons.

Officials also recovered three kilograms of fresh honey from the nabbed persons.

In the recent past there had been several instances of fire raging in the forestlands posing a grave threat to the flora and fauna of the famed Jim Corbett National Park. (ANI)