BHOPAL: Barely a week after tiger Heera was killed near Panna Reserve, another tiger was found dead in Bandhavgarh on Sunday afternoon.
This takes the tiger toll in Madhya Pradesh to 35 this year. The carcass was spotted around 4pm during routine patrolling near Pathor range of the tiger reserve, said forest officials.
Wildlife experts reached the spot and concluded that the tiger -- aged around 5 years — was killed in a territorial fight with another tiger. All its body organs are said to be intact. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey expressed strong concern on the growing toll.
“If steps are not taken today, we will be back to tiger oblivion soon. What we need urgently is a proper management plan,” he told TOI, adding that MP now accounts for a fourth of all tiger deaths reported in the country.
On October 31, Heera – of the Heera-Panna sibling fame – was found mutilated and skinned in an area near Panna reserve. Three men arrested for the crime have told forest officials that they had electrified the fence around their farm to protect their crop, and panicked when they saw a tiger had been electrocuted. They skinned it, believing it would be easier to dispose of the carcass.
