Tiger poisoned to death near Satpura Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, five held

Bhopal: A radio-collared tiger was allegedly poisoned to death, following which five persons were arrested on Saturday, Madhya Pradesh police said.

The tiger's body was found buried in a pit in West Chhindwara division revenue area on Friday, the official said.

"The tiger was brought from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Umaria in December 2004. It had formed its territory outside the reserve. Five persons have been arrested for poisoning the animal. They have been remanded in judicial custody," STR field director Rakhi Nanda told PTI.

The accused, who laced tiger kill with poison, allegedly took this step as the big cat had killed their cattle, Nanda added.

The accused are also involved in illegal opium cultivation, the official said.

Meanwhile, wildlife activist Ajay Dubey on Saturday lodged a formal complaint in the matter with Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Principal Secretary (Forest), MP, among others.

In his complaint, Dubey alleged that no movement was seen in the radio-collar monitor since March 3, but the forest department ignored the development.

"The tigress was poisoned by poachers and her carcass was found buried in a pit in Sanga Kheda village area under Chhindwara South Forest Division. It is not merely a case of poaching, but a glaring example of administrative and monitoring failure," Dubey said while seeking immediate intervention from higher authorities.

He also sought the removal of STR field director Nanda "for free and fair investigation into the glaring incident".

A total of 14 tigers have died in MP since January this year, he pointed out.