Maharashtra loses third tiger in 12 days

[Mrudul Godbole]

Maharashtra loses third tiger in 12 days
By Vijay Pinjarkar, TNN | Jan 18, 2013, 02.33 AM IST

NAGPUR: Maharashtra, that calls itself the 'best tiger state', lost another tiger on Thursday. This is the third tiger death in the past 12 days. On January 6, a tiger was found dead near Ekara (Bhuj) in South Brahmapuri in Chandrapur. On January 12, a problem tigress was shot dead in Sonzari near Navegaon National Park and on January 17, putrefied carcass of a young tiger was found in Palora beat in Deolapar range in buffer of Pench tiger reserve.

The spot where the tiger was found is 15km from Pench reserve but just 6km from Mansinghdeo sanctuary. Although exact cause of death is not known, tiger is suspected to have died of electrocution, thanks to the negligence of MSEDCL staff that once again did not report it. The tall claims of protection by forest staff were also exposed as the carcass lay in forest for 15 days without anyone spotting it.

According to sources, the putrefied carcass was found in compartment 582 in Harnakund nullah at 3pm. The tiger is young and lay 24 metres from a 11kv electric line passing over the spot. The area is 270 metres on left of Nagpur-Jabalpur highway. A source said skin of the tiger looks charred. An electric wire was also found near the spot indicating that it must have been connected to 11kv line to kill wild animal. They also said there were cattle kills in the area where carcass was found.

However, P K Mahajan, deputy conservator of forests (DyCF), Nagpur division, said, "it is too early to say whether the animal died of poisoning or electrocution. Only a post-mortem, to be conducted on Friday, will reveal the cause. Portion below the tiger's abdomen was badly decomposed and we could know it was tiger only from the stripes on skin."

Honorary district wildlife warden Kundan Hate will be present as National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) representative and Sanjay Deshpande will represent chief wildlife warden SWH Naqvi during post mortem. Chief conservator of forest (CCF) and Pench field director M S Reddy, who too rushed to the spot, suggested calling in dog squad in Chandrapur to provide clues in such cases.

Interestingly, the incident came to light a day after a training session by Nitin Desai, Central India director of Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), for forest staff and MSEDCL employees on Wednesday specifically about detecting electrocution cases of poaching. The drive was launched on Thursday. "Shockingly, not a single MSEDCL employee attended the training session perhaps knowing well that a tiger had died due to electrocution in Harnakund nullah," sources said.

"When crores of rupees are being spent to save tigers, the casual patrolling and protection from top to bottom seems disgusting. The head of the forest force (HoFF) has not called a meeting on protection of forest and wildlife demanded four months ago," alleged Siraj Patel, central president of Maharashtra State Forest Guards, Forest Employees and Forest Labourers Union.

Mahajan admitted negligence on part of field staff who failed to notice the carcass of the tiger in 15 days.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

The primary job of the forest department is to protect the forests. Unfortunately, they are hardly engaged in that. Foot patrol is hardly undertaken by the forest guards. Most of these forest guards can't even think of being in the forest alone. Competing with each other as the best tiger state is the most disgusting thing to do, especially in the backdrop of the precarious situation of our wildlife in general and tiger in particular. We are in an era of competitive populism. It is a really sad state of affairs.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

A tigress with a cub is a deadly peril, I read. True, but only to protect her defenceless cub. Wealth without work and responsibilty will destroy not only wild life but the country a whole. We have some Members of Parliament who are knowledgeable and concerned about environment and wild life, but how to reach others and convince them?
SaktiWild