The suspected poisoning of a cow in Karnataka’s Hugyam forest range may have caused the tragic death of a tigress and her four cubs. Forest officials and Minister Eshwar Khandre suspect foul play and have intensified anti-poaching efforts. Autopsies, toxicology tests, and surveillance are underway as authorities probe this alarming incident.
Representational Image. Pic/File pic
Amid the ongoing concerns about the administrative lapses in the forest range, the discovery of a seemingly stale carcass of a cow in the Hugyam forest range in Mahadeshwara Hills on Friday is now taking things in another direction. The carcass of a cow in the forest range has strengthened the doubt that the death of a tigress and her four cubs could be due to poisoning, an official confirmed.
The demise of a tigress and four cubs on Thursday in the Hugyam forest range raises deep concerns about the administrative authorities governing this particular forest area.
It is now highly suspected that the miscreants had poisoned the cow, and after eating it, the tigress and her cubs might have died, as per PTI.
The office, while addressing the issue, stated that: "Either the bovine was poisoned before being left in the forest, or the owner of the cattle, after spotting the dead cow, would have spread poison on its body, which the tigress and her cubs ate and died."
Affirming the forest official’s statement, the Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre also backed the same theory. The Karnataka Forest Minister further said: “Someone might have poisoned the cattle, which led to the death of the big cats.”
"Our government has taken the matter very seriously, and we will investigate it from all angles. We will not spare those behind it," Khandre further told reporters.
While the autopsy on the mother tigress was done on Thursday itself, the post-mortem on the four cubs was underway on Friday, the forest officials said.
The tigress and the cubs were found dead during a routine morning patrol by vigilant frontline staff, officials added.
As reported by PTI, a five-member team of experts on Thursday undertook a comprehensive necropsy following NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) protocols. The tissue, blood, and stomach samples were being processed for toxicology, histopathology, and DNA profiling, forest officials said.
Following the tragic incident which happened on Thursday, the forest department has strengthened monitoring and anti-poaching vigilance across the Hugyam range.
According to Khandre, real-time drone surveillance, infrared cameras, and GPS-based M-STRIPES patrols have been escalated across the range, and all Anti-Poaching Camps (APCs) are on high alert. Moreover, intensive sweeps for snares, poison baits, and traps are being conducted, and a confidential informer network with reward mechanisms has also been made operational for actionable intelligence.
Keeping in mind that Karnataka has the second-highest number of tigers in the country, after Madhya Pradesh, this incident of five tigers being killed can be a major point of debate.
(With PTI Inputs)
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