Man Arrested For Poisoning Tigress And Her Four Cubs In Karnataka Forest
The cow meat attracted the tigress and her four cubs, which consumed the meat and were poisoned. Forest officials were tight lipped on the detention of persons with regard to the death of tigers: Reports
BENGALURU: Forest officials on Friday took into custody four persons for the death by poisoning of a tigress and her four cubs at the Gajanur beat of Hoogyam range in Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills wildlife sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district on Friday. The carcasses of tigress and her four cubs were discovered by patrolling personnel on Thursday.
Among the arrested was Shivanna, a resident of Kallbedoddi, who used to let his cow to graze in the forest areas, and was upset after it was killed in a wild animal attack. In retaliation, officials said, Shivanna smeared pesticide on the carcass of the cow and left it in the sanctuary.
The cow meat attracted the tigress and her four cubs, which consumed the meat and were poisoned. Forest officials were tight lipped on the detention of persons with regard to the death of tigers.
A necropsy report on the death of the tigress and the four cubs was awaited by forest officials. It is suspected that the tigress allowed her cubs to feast on the kill first leading to the deaths of cubs while the tigress feasted on the kill later. The spot examination by forest officials discovered granules believed to be of the poison.
“It looks like cubs died first and later the tigress,” said the source stating that the carcass of tigress was fresh when it was discovered on Thursday at around 12.30 pm.
Sanctuary DCF Y. Chakrapani, ACF Gajanna Hegde, RFO Madesh along with wildlife vets Wasim Mirza and Siddaraju came across the kill and upon examination, strongly suspected the tigress and her cubs had died after feasting on the treated injured cow.
There are about 12 villages in the vicinity of Hoogyam range and an estimated 6,000 people reside in these villages. A villager of Hoogyam said villagers let their cattle graze illegally inside the sanctuary and many times grazing cattle become victims of tiger or leopard attacks but no reports on attacks on humans in sanctuary by leopards or tigers.
Meanwhile, forest minister Eshwar Khandra on Friday inspected the area and said that action would be taken against erring persons.