Tiger, elephant death in Chamarajanagar remains a mystery

The case of the death of two tigers and an elephant on Somanathapura Beat, Gopalaswami Betta range, under Bandipur National Park limits, remains a mystery as yet.

The viscera of the animals were sent for tests to the Forensic Laboratory and National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru, and also to a Forensic lab in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

Both the institutions in Bengaluru have given their reports, which say that the tigers were not poisoned. However, the report from Coimbatore is yet to be received.

Tiger Project Director Ambadi Madhav told DH that finding the carcasses of two tigers and an elephant at the same spot is a rare incident. "This had given room for suspicion that the death might have been due to poisoning. However, the laboratory reports from Bengaluru have confirmed that no traces of poison were found in the viscera of the animals. This has added more confusion to the incident," he said.

Madhav said that according to reports, it is clear that the animals were not poisoned. So, it cannot be the handiwork of poachers. "Moreover, it is not possible to jump to a conclusion that the tigers might have died due to territorial fighting. The whole region has been inspected by the Forest department personnel. The farmers too have been subject to enquiry. But, no clue is available so far. Now, all are waiting for the report from the Forensic Laboratory in Coimbatore. We hope it would shed light on the cause of the animal deaths," he said.