In a strange incident, a tiger was allegedly killed at the foothill of a hillock, then it was dragged to the top of the hill for about one kilometre from the crime spot and then burnt to ashes in an area adjoining the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), located in Nallamala Forest of Andhra Pradesh. The NSTR is one of the largest tiger reserves in India and about 70 tigers inhabit this reserve.
Though the incident happened in December 2023, the poaching of the tiger was confirmed only after receiving the laboratory analysis reports from the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, which is a premier research organization in frontier areas of modern biology. The forest officials are still waiting for the forensic report.
All 14 accused arrested, produced in court, released on bail:
N. Ramachandra Rao, District Forest Officer (DFO), Palnadu confirmed with The Hindu that the wild animal, which was killed, was a tiger. The incident happened at Pitchaiabhavi Thanda (a tribal hamlet in the Nallamala forest) in Loyapalli village of Veldurthy Mandal in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh. The concerned Forest officers came to know about the incident on December 18.
The forest department officials lodged criminal cases under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 against a total of 14 accused persons in this incident and all of them were produced before Additional Junior Civil Judge Court, Macherla in Palnadu district and released on bail.
Mr. Ramachandra Rao said that the accused persons including Meghavath Somla Naik (A1), Meghavath Balu Naik (A2), son of Babul Naik, Meghavath Balu Naik (A3), son of Chinna Naik, Meghavath Muni Naik (A4), Banavath Srinu Naik (A5), Desavath Anji Naik (A6), Megavath Hanumanth Naik (A7), Meghavath Balu Naik (A8), son of Sakru Naik, Megavath Nagu Naik (A9), Ramavath Hanumanth Naik (A10), Desavath Sriramulu Naik (A11), Banavath Vaghya Naik (A12), Banavath Nagaraju Naik (A13) and Desavath Balu Naik (A14).
The DFO further informed that accused number one was produced in the court on December 31, accused number 13 on January 6 and the remaining 12 accused persons on January 20 and they were granted bail on the respective dates.
All these accused persons were allegedly involved in tiger poaching in Loyapalli Beat, Veldurthi Section of Macherla forest range of Palnadu district.
The accused persons were taken into custody on different days spanning for more than twenty days and produced in the court as and when they were arrested.
Evidences
The prima facie evidence including the hair follicles of the tiger appeared throughout the crime spot, confirmed in the CCMB analysis report. The tiger was killed after being electrocuted. The accused number one in the case was responsible for the electrocution of the tiger, as he installed the electric fence across his illegally occupied forest lands. Though there was no crop in his occupied land, he erected the electric wires for alleged wild animal meat. It is a regular and illegal practice of the people in these areas, according to the forest officers.
Unfortunately, the tiger came in contact with the electric wires and then died on the spot. More than a couple of days after the death of the big cat in the fields at the foothill, the accused persons brought it to the top of the hill and burnt it. They did so to hide the truth, mislead the officers and tamper with the evidence to escape from the prosecution. Had they burnt the tiger where it died, it would have come to the notice of the forest officers, or other villagers.
The deceased tiger would have weighed approximately 180 Kgs to 200 Kgs, according to the forest officials.
Measures to prevent such incidents
After the incident, the Palnadu Forest Division has initiated a series of measures to ensure that no such incidents recur.
The DFO said that all the forest fringe villages with illegal electricity connections have been identified and the Electricity Department has been addressed to remove such connections on a war-foot basis. Camera traps are fixed on vantage points to monitor tiger movement.
Pressure impression pads are laid to identify pugmarks. In addition to the existing Striking Force and Anti-Poaching Squad, three more base camps are proposed for the safeguarding of Tiger movement in the forest areas. Sensitisation programmes are being organised in all forest fringe villages. Regular coordination meetings are organised with NSTR teams for effective monitoring. Renowned NGOs such as HyTiCoS (Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society) are roped in for organising workshops and training sessions for frontline staff on wildlife conservation.
