Wild carnivores and humans compared

[Rage2277]

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

BAREILLY: Razor wires put up by poachers to trap wild boar, deer and blue bulls -- nilgai -- for their meat ensnared a full-grown tiger on Sunday night and led to its painful and agonising death in UP’s Lakhimpur Kheri district, which has already seen at least five big cat killings in the last two years. The region, sources claim, has turned into a hotbed for poachers. In March, 2019, a big cat was killed just 12-km away from the spot where the adult male tiger’s bloodied carcass was recovered on Monday morning. Abutting Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, the district’s lush sugarcane fields have become a refuge for stray tigers. In a recent survey using camera traps, the presence of over 10 tigers was confirmed in the forests of Mohammadi range of social forestry. But it has also exposed them to villagers and poachers amid them. Sources said that the poachers trap and kill wild boar and ‘nilgai’ for their meat which fetches them somewhere between Rs 400 and 500 per kg. Caught in one such trap, the eight-year-old tiger died on Sunday night in Dokarpur village in Mohammadi range. Sources said that the poachers also connect these wires with high-tension lines making it more lethal. Divisional forest officer (DFO) Samir Kumar said, “It was an adult male tiger and must be above 8 years of age. It appears that the blade wires were placed to hunt a wild animal by professional people. We have also recovered the body of a wild boar from the spot. “A few suspects, including the owner of the field, have been identified. They will be arrested soon. We are collecting more information through our sources to ensure everyone involved in the crime is nabbed. There was an injury around the tiger’s neck which is possibly due to its struggle with the blade wires. The carcass has been sent for autopsy at Indian Veterinary Research Institute (ICAR-IVRI) Bareilly and the details are awaited.” A three-member team has been formed to inquire into the matter, the DFO said. LATEST COMMENT These low humans don't deserve majestic tiger... Sourabh Sharma SEE ALL COMMENTS ADD COMMENT A local told TOI, “Poaching is rampant in the area. And the forest officials had caught people in the past but they released them due to unknown reasons. The people who make complaints against corrupt officials are threatened of dire actions.” On February 14, two poachers were arrested with the skin of a tiger which was killed inside Dudhwa forests. In August 2020, an adult tigress had died after going hungry and thirsty for 10 days as a plastic wire was coiled around its neck and it was neither able to hunt or drink water in Jatpura beat of Mailani range. A tiger caught in a snare had died in Shivpuri village in March 2020 while a tigress was poisoned and its body fished out of a canal in the social forestry region on July 10, 2019. Reply