Experts express concern over safety of tigers in Kagaznagar

As per forest officials, eight to 10 adult tigers and four to five cubs were residing in the forests of the district, while four others were shuttling between Telangana and Maharashtra

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Experts involved in tiger conservation have expressed concern over the safety of tigers in the forests of Kagaznagar division following the suspected poisoning of a tiger.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RM Dobriyal, who inspected the spot where the carcass of a male adult tiger was found in the forests of Darigaon in Kagaznagar mandal on Monday, said the second tiger might have died after consuming poisoned cattle kill found in the vicinity. Investigations and observations had found that some unknown persons poisoned a cattle kill resulting in the death of this tiger.

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As per forest officials, eight to 10 adult tigers and four to five cubs were residing in the forests of the district, while four others were shuttling between Telangana and Maharashtra. Of them, four had made the forests of Kagaznagar division their home for quite a long time. The carcass of a one and half year old female tiger named S-15 was spotted in the forests of Darigaon village in Kagaznagar mandal on December 6. Forest officials suspected that the cause of the death of S-15 was a territorial fight.

Environmentalists, however, worried a lot over the safety of the tigers. They regretted that the age-old method of poisoning cattle kill by poachers to eliminate tigers was being used again. Poachers were targeting tigers in dense forests to hoodwink forest officials. They suspected the first tiger too might have died of poisoning.

“Finding carcasses of two tigers within a gap of two days is an unusual and worrisome instance. With consecutive deaths of two tigers due to suspected poisoning, the life of the remaining tigers is at stake. The tigers residing in the forests of Kagaznagar will meet a similar fate if they consume the meat of a cattle kill which is poisoned,” an environmentalist, seeking anonymity, said.

District Forest Officer Neeraj Kumar Tebriwal told ‘Telangana Today‘ that they were checking the whole landscape of Darigaon and surrounding forests to find out whether the other tigers were safe. He stated that patrolling was already intensified to prevent poaching of the tigers. Animal trackers were also tracking the movement of the tigers, he added.