Apprehensions are rife about the likely poisoning of bait as the reason for the deaths of two tigers in the Kumram Bheem Asifabad district discovered during the past two days.
The first carcass of a subadult female tiger was found on Saturday, in the Darigaon beat of the Kagaznagar range, which the forest authorities had attributed to territorial fights.
The second carcass of a 5-6 years old male tiger was discovered on Monday, about 500-600 metres from the location where the tigress was found.
Activists involved in Wildlife conservation refuted territorial fight as the reason, as territorial fights are rare among females unless they are with cubs. Though males are known to kill the cubs to prevent competition, they do not attempt it with subadult ones, they say.
“A few days ago, there was a cattle kill, and the villagers were furious about it. Though officials claim that they have been compensating the cattle loss due to tiger attacks, the amount is too low, obtaining which is an uphill task for the villagers. Killing the attacker is an easier option,” says a well known tiger activist unwilling to go on record.
Surmise is that the villagers may have poisoned the half-eaten cattle carcass, and the two tigers may have died in succession after partaking of the same meal.
Allegations are that the forest department has not intimated the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) about death of the two tigers, which should be done as per the protocol.
A statement from the Forest department said that as per the initial observations and investigations, poisoning seemed to have been the likely cause of death of the male tiger, though the tiger was found with a loosened snare around its neck. Samples are being sent to forensics labs for further investigation, it said. FIR is also being lodged in the local police station.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Mohan Chandra Pargaien refuted the allegations that NTCA protocol was not observed. He said the death of the tigress was suspected to be due to territorial fights, because the animal was wounded and there was fur in its teeth.
Regarding the death of the male tiger, Mr.Pargaien, after field visit to the site of carcass, said, “The death could not have been due to the snare, as it was loose around the neck. The wound due to the snare too was old and healed. As is usual in case of poisoned animals, the tiger died on its way to a water source, giving strength to the suspicion about poisoning”.
Owing to frequent cattle kills by tigers in these parts, and delays in payment of compensation, villagers might have been miffed with the authorities and taken this extreme step, he said.
Recently, the Telangana foresters began the ‘Catch the Trap’ drive, during which the officials are carrying inspections and confiscating traps and snares used by villagers to ward off attacks by wild animals on the crops.
