Green Minute News.
In a shocking incident, a young tigress with her two cubs was found dead in the Chimur range, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra, India.
The tigers are suspected to have been poisoned. On Monday morning, on a tip off, the forest staff discovered the bodies of the three wild cats in different places. According to forest officials, the cubs were just about a year old.
It was a pathetic sight as the bodies were strewn near a drain flowing close to Metapar village. Initial investigations reveal that the big cats may have been poisoned as the carcass of a partially eaten chital too was discovered. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra forest department has ordered a probe into the incident – ascertain the reasons for the death of the three carnivores in view of the continuing conflict in this region.
Chandrapur district which falls under the Brahmapuri Forest division has been witnessing man-animal conflicts frequently. Added to this, tigers have been straying from the Tadoba Andhari protected area to nearby human settlements often and resulting in killing of cattle and other animals.
Outside the protected area, the Brahmapuri Forest division has a healthy population of 60 tigers with 16 cubs and sub adults. With more than 600 villages surrounding this vast forest area, tigers have been straying into farm lands in search of easy prey, say wildlife activists.
Even last month, a problematic tiger was tranquillized and captured by the forest department as it had been involved in the killing of three people. This Brahmapuri forest area spread across almost 1000 square kilometers is prone to frequent conflicts with decreasing prey in forest areas. In fact, four people have died in tiger/leopard attacks in June, this year leading to resentment and anger among people living in villages surrounding the forest in Chandrapur district.
Most of the times, forray of wild animals nto human habitats aren’t for killing people but for food, dogs, sheep, etc. Provide their timely food, water etc, by air dropping by using drones into deep forest area. When they are satisfied they will not visit come.