Reserve Officials Defend "No Tiger Capture Can Take Place As Per Guidelines
Bandipur Tiger Reserve took to capturing strayed tigers after a tiger attacked and injured a farmer identified as Mahadev Gowda and later a couple of farmers lost their lives owing to attacks from tigers: Reports
BENGALURU: Capture of strayed tigers, as many as 18 including cubs, outside Bandipur Tiger Reserve in recent months has come under scanner from a wildlife activist who allege gross violations of guidelines laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) especially tiger capture after dusk. As per the guidelines of NTCA, no tiger should be caught after 6 pm.
Bandipur Tiger Reserve took to capturing strayed tigers after a tiger attacked and injured a farmer identified as Mahadev Gowda and later a couple of farmers lost their lives owing to attacks from tigers.
A wildlife activist told Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday NTCA guidelines are clear that no tiger should be captured by forest officials after dawn but in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, spread across Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, officials caught/captured straying tigers late at night.
One of the reasons for not engaging in tiger operation at night, the wildlife activist said “It might be that capturing a tiger in the cover of darkness could pose a risk for the animal.” He added another reason might be not to disturb the animal after dawn.
“It is wrong to assume all tigers attack humans. Some tigers take refuge on the forest borders and they stray into villages often and return back. Here, on the periphery of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, officials have acted without applying their minds and caught or captured all tigers they have come across,” pointed the activist and stated the use of thermal drone cameras in tiger captures in villages bordering Bandipur Tiger Reserve late at night. While some are released into the wild, others, especially injured, are shifted to Chamundi Rehabilitation Centre near Mysuru city.
Apart from violating NTCA guidelines in tiger captures, the activist stated captured tigers on the periphery of Bandipur Tiger Reserve were translocated in other tiger reserves of the State without a proper study.
In one instance, the activist stated, tigers are territorial animals and a captured tiger was released in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, spread across Mysuru and Kodagu districts, without knowing whether any dominant tiger resided in a particular location and the release of captured tiger could pose a threat for its life since the dominant tiger could attack and cause serious injuries to the released tiger.
By using thermal drones to in tiger capture has been a costly affair since a rented thermal drone camera costs Rs 35,000 a day as rent. The wildlife activist stated thermal drone has been in service for close to 3-months and the activist alleged the person managing the thermal drone often decides on tiger capture.
A senior official of Bandipur Tiger Reserve stated “If we go by NTCA guidelines then capture of straying tigers cannot happen. We used to start tiger capture at about and complete the capture by 7 pm.” Field Director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve Prabhakaran did not respond.