BHOPAL, Dec 11: Two persons have been arrested and two forest employees suspended
following investigations into the death of a tiger by tree trap in Panna Tiger
Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday last. The accused have been remanded
to judicial custody for two weeks. The employees, a deputy ranger and a beat
guard, were suspended for dereliction of duty.
The two years old tiger, weighing 200 kg, was found hanging by a noose around
its neck. This is a first-of-its-kind incident of a tiger being hanged to death.
The State forest and wildlife authorities had begun an investigation. Sniffer
dogs were also deployed. The carcass was found in a jungle in North Panna Forest
Division, outside the protected area. The cat fell prey to a clutch wire trap
(of vehicles). Veterinarians have conducted the autopsy to find out the cause
of the death. Its photo is being matched with a database of the wildlife to
determine its identity.
The Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) has been the target of poachers since long. In
July last two were found dead. Parts were missing. There are around 80 big cats
now in the Reserve, covering an area of 542 sq km.
According to official sources, 270 tiger deaths were reported in the State
between 2012 and July 2022. The figure for last year was 42 and so far this
year 32 tigers have died.
Madhya Pradesh has six tiger reserves: Panna, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura
and Sanjay Dubri.
