LE CORPS D'UN TIGRE A ETE RETROUVE HIER, APRES CELUI D'UN JEUNE DECOUVERT LE 6 JANVIER, ET L'ABATTAGE D'UNE TIGRESSE PRESUMEE DANGEREUSE LE 12. Source: Times of India, aujourd'hui. Et en fin d'article, réactualisation dans le Times of India du 19 janvier.
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.
Actualisation dans le Times of India du 19 janvier : les employés accusés de négligence ont été sanctionnés. Le tigre semble avoir été tué par un piège électrique destinée à un ongulé ...
NAGPUR: Chief conservator of forests (CCF) for Nagpur Circle SH Patil has ordered the suspension of two forest
employees over the poaching of a tiger in Harnakund
nullah in the buffer zone of Pench tiger reserve, 55km from Nagpur, on Thursday.
"The decomposing tiger carcass lay at the spot for over two weeks and the negligent field staff failed to notice it. They have to move in the entire beat once in 15 days, which they did not do,"
said Patil. Those suspended are forest guard BS Atkar and van majoor RD Uikey.
Patil said electrocution may have been the cause of the tiger's death, but the poachers were most probably targeting herbivores by laying the live wires.
Honorary district wildlife warden Kundan Hate and chief wildlife warden's representative Sanjay Deshpande
also searched the area near Harnakund after the post mortem. They came across a bamboo with hooks, wires and wooden pegs fixed into the ground. "This indicates that poachers used the material to
kill wild animals. This material was not noticed by the forest staff," Hate said.
"It is a clear case of poaching since the tiger's skull, nails, pelvic girdle bones and paws were missing. It also cannot be ruled out that the poachers killed the animal elsewhere and dumped it
in the nullah to destroy evidence," said Hate.
Although the post mortem report is yet to be submitted, veterinary doctors from Deolapar, Hiwra and Ramtek were of the opinion that the tiger was electrocuted.
A dog trained to give leads in wildlife crimes did not prove to be of much help in the investigation since a lot of time had elapsed after the crime.
Hate also slammed MSEDCL officials, and suggested they should be booked for the death of the tiger. "The power company officials are not serious about the issue, and are not coordinating with the
forest department in sharing tripping data," Hate said.
He added that power supply in the area tripped regularly during the night hours since January 1, but data was not given to the forest staff. It is also surprising that the forest staff did not
know about the tiger's presence when villagers used to regularly sight the animal in the same forest.
A senior official said the electrocution theory is also strengthened by the death of a villager on January 2 due to electric shock. Radheshyam Wadhve of Khatta, 2km from the spot, had been
electrocuted, said sources. It is now feared that when poachers saw Wadhve dead, they dumped his body on the highway to show he died in a road accident. Harnakund is just 270 metres away from the
highway.
The tiger carcass was 15 days old and matches the period when Wadhve died. Deolapar police confirmed Wadhve's death near
Harnakund, but said it was a case of accidental death. However, police admitted that those who reported the matter were evasive about how Wadhve died, but later claimed he was hit by a vehicle
while returning from Ramtek.
"I'm investigating Wadhve's links too and will go to any length to crack the case," said AR Sheikh, range forest officer (RFO) of Deolapar.
Senior forest officials admitted that the newly promoted RFOs are ill-equipped to handle such exigencies, as they are yet to get experience, which comes over the years.
"It is really disturbing that despite getting promotions, better pay, good vehicles, necessary equipment and newly recruited staff, tigers continue to die a horrible death. The staff will have to
change their mindset. You don't need guns to save tigers, but the right attitude," said young naturalists Vineet Arora and Haseeb Badar.
