The recent death of tigers in the Nilgiris could not have been due to organised poaching, said Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R. Reddy on Monday.
Ten tigers, including six cubs, were found dead in the Nilgiris from mid-August to mid-September. While at least one was due to poisoning of cattle carcass, infighting was suspected in two other cases. The high number of deaths in an unusually short interval raised questions on poachers’ involvement.
However, Mr. Reddy said no evidence was found to link some of the deaths to poaching, but the Forest Department was actively pursuing the cases. Referring to the death of two tigers in Udhagai South Range near Avalanche on September 9, Mr. Reddy said both the tigers had injury marks. If it was poaching, he asked: “Why did they leave the carcass with claws, skin intact?”
