<p>Bandipur National Park, Chamarajanagar district: The officials of Bandipur are fostering four tiger cubs abandoned by their mother about 50 days ago. With the forest department not able to locate the tiger, officials are feeding the one-year-old cubs, which cannot hunt on their own, with road kills.</p><p>NTCA guidelines don't encourage such practices. Wildlife experts also highlight that this is against nature's rule of survival of the fittest. However, senior officials say they are giving them a chance to survive. </p><p>The recent incidents of the death of six tigers at MM Hills seems to have played a role in this decision of the department. The cubs are being monitored round the clock using drones, camera traps and watchers.</p><p>While in North and Central Indian tiger reserves there have been incidents of forest department feeding abandoned cubs and ailing adult tigers, such practices have not been followed in south Indian tiger reserves so far.</p><p>Wildlife Conservationist Praveen Bhargav says tiger reserves are not zoos to feed abandoned wild cubs. "The goal of conservation is to manage natural habitats with the least amount of human interference. This is another instance where wildlife conservation and animal rights part ways. If the cubs can make it on their own, that is fine," he says.</p>.Forest minister orders probe into death of tiger cubs.<p>Activists also say that Bandipur has already reached its saturation level in tiger population and any human intervention in protecting abandoned cubs may only add to the conflict.</p><p>“As these cubs haven’t acquired survival skills in the wild, including hunting from their mother, they will be either pushed to the periphery to hunt easy prey or fail to differentiate between prey and threat," says wildlife activist Joseph Hoover.</p><p>Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) P C Ray says the decision to protect the cubs was taken after recommendation from a technical committee. “Had we left them unattended, they would have died. We will provide them feed till they are able to hunt themselves. This may continue for the next five-six months,” he said.</p><p>Bandipur Field Director S R Prabhakaran says the department is following what has been suggested by members of the committee, which has experts from the National Tiger Conservation Authority as members.</p><p>“We only assist feeding the cubs with road kills. The cubs have started hunting small mammals. As the intervention is minimal, the cubs have to still fight for their survival,” he said.</p><p>As the abandoned cubs are in a safari zone, the officials have turned the cubs’ territory into in-situ enclosure and out of bounds for tourists.</p>
<p>Bandipur National Park, Chamarajanagar district: The officials of Bandipur are fostering four tiger cubs abandoned by their mother about 50 days ago. With the forest department not able to locate the tiger, officials are feeding the one-year-old cubs, which cannot hunt on their own, with road kills.</p><p>NTCA guidelines don't encourage such practices. Wildlife experts also highlight that this is against nature's rule of survival of the fittest. However, senior officials say they are giving them a chance to survive. </p><p>The recent incidents of the death of six tigers at MM Hills seems to have played a role in this decision of the department. The cubs are being monitored round the clock using drones, camera traps and watchers.</p><p>While in North and Central Indian tiger reserves there have been incidents of forest department feeding abandoned cubs and ailing adult tigers, such practices have not been followed in south Indian tiger reserves so far.</p><p>Wildlife Conservationist Praveen Bhargav says tiger reserves are not zoos to feed abandoned wild cubs. "The goal of conservation is to manage natural habitats with the least amount of human interference. This is another instance where wildlife conservation and animal rights part ways. If the cubs can make it on their own, that is fine," he says.</p>.Forest minister orders probe into death of tiger cubs.<p>Activists also say that Bandipur has already reached its saturation level in tiger population and any human intervention in protecting abandoned cubs may only add to the conflict.</p><p>“As these cubs haven’t acquired survival skills in the wild, including hunting from their mother, they will be either pushed to the periphery to hunt easy prey or fail to differentiate between prey and threat," says wildlife activist Joseph Hoover.</p><p>Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) P C Ray says the decision to protect the cubs was taken after recommendation from a technical committee. “Had we left them unattended, they would have died. We will provide them feed till they are able to hunt themselves. This may continue for the next five-six months,” he said.</p><p>Bandipur Field Director S R Prabhakaran says the department is following what has been suggested by members of the committee, which has experts from the National Tiger Conservation Authority as members.</p><p>“We only assist feeding the cubs with road kills. The cubs have started hunting small mammals. As the intervention is minimal, the cubs have to still fight for their survival,” he said.</p><p>As the abandoned cubs are in a safari zone, the officials have turned the cubs’ territory into in-situ enclosure and out of bounds for tourists.</p>