Meera Bhardwaj:
The carcass of a two-year-old tiger was albeit detected in Gundlupet buffer zone, Bandipur Tiger Reserve from the sky rather than the ground by the frontline forest staff. Unfortunately, the tiger had been electrocuted – caught in an illegal electric fencing around a farm field.
This is for the first time that the body of a tiger has been found with the help of a thermal drone in the Gundlupet buffer zone of Bandipur Tiger Reserve – signalling the importance of patrolling by frontline forest staff – also by using the latest technology. The dead tiger was detected around 1 am on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) near Padaguru village in Gundlupet buffer zone of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka.
The shocking incident occurred near Padaguru Mata temple. Investigations have revealed the tiger died due to electrocution. An illegal electric fence had been set up around the farmland to protect the maize crop. The land is owned by a person residing in Bengaluru. The farmland is under the care of Parameshwarappa (son of Eswarappa) who serves as its caretaker.
THERMAL DRONE DETECTION
The tiger is suspected to have come into contact with this live wire, resulting in its death. The carcass of the young tiger was reportedly detected during a thermal drone survey by Gundlupet buffer zone staff for monitoring the increased tiger movement in the area.
Speaking to Green Minute News, Chief Wildlife Warden and PCCF (Wildlife) Kumar Pushkar said, “The tiger body was detected in the early hours through a thermal drone used by the patrolling staff who were monitoring the movement of wildlife in this zone. The postmortem has been completed and action will be taken against the offender and the land owner identified. The offence report has been filed.”
USAGE OF THERMAL DRONES
The Karnataka Forest Department has been using thermal drones for the last three years for monitoring the movement of wildlife in different zones facing conflict and also in vulnerable areas. The Chief Wildlife Warden added, “Bandipur Tiger Reserve has one thermal drone while for other areas, thermal drones are hired whenever required. This technology will help in patrolling and aiding the frontline forest staff.”
2000 FOREST FIELD STAFF TO BE HIRED THIS YEAR
Karnataka Forest Department has to fill up 4000 vacant field posts which is mostly pertaining to frontline forest staff. Kumar Pushkar adds, “In this year’s budget, the chief minister has allocated funds for hiring 2000 frontline forest staff during 2026-27. This will help in strengthening our field staff strength and help in tightening our foot patrolling.”
ELECTROCUTION OF WILDLIFE
Karnataka has seen repeated electrocution of elephants, and big cats linked to illegal electric fencing around farms over several years. Despite court scrutiny, combing operations by forest staff and repeated warnings from conservation circles, electrocution deaths of Schedule-1 species receiving the highest protection, continue unabated.
In February 2023, a five-year-old tiger was killed near Bandipur Tiger Reserve after coming into contact with an electrified fence, a case that should have triggered far stronger action as it is regularly happening in forest fringe landscapes around Nagarhole, Bandipur and other PA.
ELECTROCUTION DATA RECORDS
From January 2017 onward reveal at least 13 leopards and elephants had died due to electrocution in districts including Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru.
By late 2018, records reveal that 18 elephants, leopards and tigers had been electrocuted in just two years near the protected areas of Bandipur, MM Hills, BRT and Bhadra.
The toll is not just limited to big cats.
Data placed before the Karnataka High Court show that 46 elephants had died from electrocution in the state since 2021, with illegal electric fences and sagging power lines identified as major causes.
Independent reporting based on Karnataka Forest Department data state:
- 10 of 13 elephant electrocution deaths in 2023-24 were linked to illegal fencing, and
- Five more deaths in 2024-25 were also tied to illegal fences.
ILLEGAL FENCING
These records leave very little room for excuses. Wildlife activists say, “Illegal fencing is not a hidden hazard, not an occasional lapse, and not an unfortunate side effect of agriculture. It is a known, repeated and lethal method that continues to thrive in landscapes where wildlife movement is both documented and expected.”
Wildlife conservationists add, “If the forest officials know tigers are moving through the area, then enforcement cannot stop with tracking the animal. It must extend to identifying vulnerable areas around farms, dismantling illegal live wires, monitoring repeat-risk pockets, conflict areas and prosecuting offenders before another carcass is found.”
NEED FOR REGULAR PATROLLING
They stress, “Thermal drones are useful. But surveillance after death is not protection. Technology can reveal the aftermath; only regular patrolling can prevent it. The electrocution of a young tiger in a buffer landscape where vigilance should have been highest reveals the lacuna in field patrolling.”
R S Tejus, Green Minute News adds, “While the use of thermal drones is a welcome step, it should not become a substitute for constant night patrolling. Forest protection cannot depend only on surveillance devices. It is only when staff walk through the forest at night that they can pick up the small but critical details—fresh tracks, movement, sounds, signs of intrusion, or other suspicious activity—that may be missed. Regular night patrolling not only improves detection but also strengthens prevention as visible human presence in vulnerable areas acts as a deterrent. For effective forest protection, technology must support field vigilance, not replace it.”
The electrocution of a young tiger at Gundlupet was not a freak encounter in the wild. It was a preventable killing on the edge of a protected landscape. No amount of inquiry will bring back the tiger but just result in another case file. What this landscape on the fringes of Bandipur Tiger Reserve needs is fear of the law and strict punishment and heavy fines on the offenders if we have to save our tigers, leopards and elephants from electrocution.