Hoshangabad: If 2017 was marred by tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh, 2018 already seems to have begun on a sad note as the state lost a tigress at Satpura Tiger Reserve. This is the fourth big cat casualty reported in less than 20 days of January, putting the total of striped cat mortalities at 29 in the last one year.
The body of the tigress, which died under dubious circumstances, was found on Thursday night, sources in the Forest Department said.
Sources further claimed that a radio-collar was draped around the tigress’ neck but the device, which helps locate the big cat, had not been emitting signals in the last month and a half.
However, the exact cause behind the tigress’ death was not known, an officer from STR said. The officer, though, did decline the possibility of electrocution or poaching, as no organ was missing from the body.
Park director L Krishnamurthy could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts while Chief Conservator of Forest Hoshangabad pleaded ignorance claiming that the area was beyond his jurisdiction.
This latest report comes after two tigers were found dead in Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves on January 4 and 5, respectively. Another tiger fell into a well in Balaghat on January 3.
Last year, Madhya Pradesh topped the charts with the death of 25 striped cats owing to poaching, electrocution, mishaps and territorial fight.
“Despite repeated complaints to National Tiger Conservation Authority, no concrete action has been taken and the statuary body has been reduced to a cosmetic institution,” wildlife activist Ajay Dubey alleged.
NTCA’s promptness can be gauged from the fact that despite several days since their demise, the tiger watchdog is yet to upload details of the two tiger mortalities in MP.
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