Jodhpur teen fights off armed Chinkara poachers, netizens salute his 'exemplary courage'

In an act of courage, a 15-year-old from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, who fought and overpowered the armed poachers with a licensed 303 rifle and saved the wildlife is being applauded on the internet. The incident was shared on the official Twitter handle of The ERDS Foundation - an NGO working in Western Rajasthan for environment conservation that caught the attention of people. Social media is now honouring the courageous act of the class 10th boy who confronted the poachers in an attempt to save a Chinkara who was shot at by the armed men. 

In the post which is now being widely shared, The ERDS Foundation wrote, “Gun left by poachers, but escaped with dead Chinkara in the dark of night. The case was reported to nearby Police Station, Balesar, Jodhpur. Further investigation is going on. We salute such warriors”.

The foundation further notified that the boy was safe and in good health. In another footage, Mukesh could be seen narrating the whole incident as to how his friend Pukhraj and he, confronted the armed men that carried assault rifles. “Since the lockdown was announced, every night a group of us patrol from 8 PM till 2 AM. This is to ensure that the wildlife in this region remains protected,” Mukesh explained in the video. Further, he said, the two boys were on a motorcycle conducting their routine night patrolling in the outskirts of the village when they heard a gunshot.

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Immediately, the duo rode their bike towards the location and came face-to-face with four poachers who had just shot chinkara who bled profusely. Despite the men outnumbering the two heroes, and armed, Mukesh and Pukhraj tried to stop them in order to safeguard the wildlife. Shortly, nervous witnessing the act of courage from the two boys, the men fled the site leaving their weapons behind. 

“They were four of them and they also had a weapon which I caught hold off, but I was pushed to the ground, and that is when they made their escape,” Mukesh said in the video. In an interview with a news outlet, when asked if he doesn’t fear for his life, Mukesh reportedly said that it was his duty and he was not fearful at all. Rajasthan lists Chinkara as the official state animal which is endangered and comes under India’s Wildlife Protection Act 1972. 

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