Bengaluru: In a gruesome incident, five tigers, including four cubs and a mother were poisoned in Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Division. The decomposed bodies of the five tigers, four grown up cubs of which three are female and one male, along with their mother were found at Hoogyam range of Meenyam section near Gajanur Beat.
According to preliminary information, the poisoning is suspected to be the handiwork of the local people who grazecattle inside the MM Hills tiger reserves. The tigers had killed cattle inside the forest. It is suspected the villagers had poisoned the carcass. Tigers usually come back to the kill for a second meal and it is thought that after the tigers had eaten their first fill the villagers took the opportunity to poison the carcass leading to the deaths.
The cubs are said to be around two and a half years old, and were on the verge of separating from the mother to establish their own territories. The MM Hills tiger reserves have many thandas, or settle-ments, both inside and outside the reserves. Most of the people living outside the reserve have cattle, but not for milk. Dung collection is a thriving business here and it fetches a good price in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has constituted a highlevel inquiry committee under Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B P Ravi, APCCF Srinivasulu, along with CCF Chamarajnagar Heerlal, NTCA representative, a veterinarian from Mysore Zoo and an independent expert.
Besides, a five member expert team has been constituted to conduct a Multidisciplinary Post-Mortem and Forensic Examination as per the guidelines of NTCA. The members include the MM Hills DCF Chakrapani, Forest Veterinarian Dr Mirza Waseem, NTCA Nominee Malleshappa, CWLW nominee T John Peter and Hanur government veterinary hospital office Dr Siddaraju. Khandre said that there would be zero tolerance towards the offenders and he had ordered a strict action against those involved in poisoning the tigers.
