Six arrested for tiger poaching in Kanha reserve

Madhya Pradesh forest officials on Tuesday arrested six people from the Kanha Tiger Reserve for allegedly poaching a tiger, cutting its four paws and a patch of its skin.

Published on: Oct 25, 2016, 20:04:08 IST

Bhopal | By Neeraj Santoshi

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Madhya Pradesh forest officials on Tuesday arrested six people from the Kanha Tiger Reserve for allegedly poaching a tiger, cutting its four paws and a patch of its skin.

The state has this year recorded 23 big cat deaths, an alarming number for conservationists. (Praveen Bajpai/ HT file photo)

On Saturday, the carcass of the six-eight years old male tiger was found in Khatiya range of the reserve, with four paws missing and its carcass in a semi-decomposed state. The state has this year recorded 23 big cat deaths, an alarming number for conservationists.

Kanha reserve, located in the Maikal ranges of the Satpuras is spread over Mandla and Balaghat districts, has a minimum of 80 tigers and 25 cubs.

Kanha reserve field director Sanjay Shukla said the tiger had died due to electrocution.

“The villagers had set a live wire to kill a wild boar for meat near Manegoan village of the buffer. When they saw a tiger had been killed instead, they tried to hide it under a thick growth of bushes nearby. Then some of them thought they could get good money if they sell paws and a patch a skin,” he said.

Shukla said they didn’t disturb the carcass from its position and called a dog squad from Jabalpur.

“On Sunday morning, the dog squad gave us some leads and we intensified our investigation and announced a reward of Rs 30,000 to anyone who can lead us to the accused,” he said.

The accused are Devi Singh, Gyan Singh ,Chhotelal and Sundar Lal from Manegaon village, Dharam Singh from Patpara village and Dheer Singh from Lamna village.

Tiger deaths in Kanha reserve this year

October 22: The carcass of a tiger was found in the Khatiya range with four missing paws missing

June 16: Tiger dies in Kanha National Park

May 21: Over 12 month old tigress dies due to territorial fighting

April 26: A tiger dies in Kisli forest

April 18: 8-year-old tigress dies while defending its two cubs from another male tiger in Mukki range

April 16: 14-year-old male tiger dies of old age and starvation in Supkhar range

April 8: Tiger cub of Pench tigress dies from septicemia infection at Kanha Tiger Reserve, where it was shifted. A Tiger cub dies in Gorella Mukki forest

March 9: A tiger dies in Kisli forest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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