Sandalwood trees stolen from Vizag Bio-park

RAISING grave concerns over administration and security of urban green spaces, three mature sandalwood (Santalum album) trees were illegally chopped down and stolen late Sunday night from a Biodiversity Park located on the premises of Rani Chandramani Devi (RCD) Government Hospital.

- USHA PERI @ Visakhapatnam

Maintained by the Dolphin Nature Conservation Society (DNCS), the trees that were lost were 23 years old and classified as rare and endangered.

According to park authorities, unidentified miscreants broke through the fencing to remove the logs, each measuring approximately five to six feet. Three more sandalwood trees were found partially cut, while discarded trunks damaged nearby vegetation.

The culprits, suspected to have used machinery, targeted only sandalwood trees across different sections, pointing to a premeditated and well-organised theft.