The direction set a 10-day deadline for report submission containing all the details of the deaths involving the big cats.
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Bengaluru: Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre has sought a detailed report on the death of 82 tigers in less than six years from the Forest Department officials.
As per the data available from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Forest Department, Karnataka has seen 82 deaths in the last five-and-a-half years.
With the death of five tigers (due to alleged poisoning) in Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary recently, the number of tigers killed in the first six months has reached 10.
In a direction to the additional chief secretary of his department, the minister said the number of deaths reported in the media was shocking.
“Of the 82 tigers that died, how many died of natural causes? How many deaths were unnatural and what was the probable cause? Has there been a probe into such cases?” the minister stated.
Khandre also expressed concern over the killing of the big cats for their body parts, especially claws and canines.
“If some parts of the body were missing, was there an
investigation? What’s the current status of the investigation in such cases?” he sought to know.
The minister said the report should also provide details of the action taken against officials in case of negligence. The direction set a 10-day deadline for the submission of the report containing all the details.
Before the death of five tigers, at least two big cats had died under suspicious circumstances, but the department is yet to investigate the same.
In February, a carcass of a tiger with a pellet injury was found in the Ambaligola dam in Shivamogga’s Sagar taluk.
A radio-collared tiger was found dead in Jyoti Katte pond in Belur. Wildlife activists have noted that the deaths have not been investigated properly.
The NTCA has issued clear guidelines to ensure that the causative factors for tiger death are ascertained and taken to a logical conclusion in the interest of tiger conservation.
However, the status of the investigation in most cases remains unknown, they said.