15 tigers died in State during 2012 NTCA report

Criminal tribes target big cats in protected reserves

The year bygone has proved to be unsafe for wildlife in Karnataka. As many as 15 tigers died in the State’s protected forests in 2012, according to a report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The tiger census conducted in 2010 disclosed that Karnataka had 300 tigers. Of the 41 tiger reserves in India, five are in Karnataka - Bandipur, Nagarahole, Bhadra, Anashi-Dandeli and Biligiri Ranganathaswamy protected tiger forest.

According to the report uploaded on its website, NTCA has said that out of the 15 tigers which died in 2012 in Karnataka, six were poached, while the rest died a natural death.
The State has the distinction of having highest number of tigers in the country.

Apparently, ‘criminal tribes’ from North India are targetting tigers in the protected reserves. Poachers from Bawaria tribe were arrested in Biligiri Ranganathaswamy forests July last year. They had set up jaw-traps in forests for poaching tigers.

Across the country

The report says that 88 tigers died across the country in 2012 and a majority of them have fallen prey to poachers in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The casuality was comparatively less in 2011 - when 56 tigers died, six of them in Karnataka, three of which were poached.

Wildlife Biologist Sanjay Gubbi said reserved forests adjacent to protected tiger reserves should be made part of the tiger reserves.

He said declaring Male Mahadeshwara Hills, Hanur, Yedeyarahalli and Ramapura reserved forests too should be declared wildlife reserve to check poaching.