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Probe on into death of three tigers in Dudhwa
The CM has ordered forest minister, additional chief secretary for forest, and other officers of the forest department to visit the Dudhwa National Park immediately, conduct a thorough investigation, the government said
Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe into the death of three tigers in less than two weeks in Dudhwa. The latest tiger death in the reserve, located in Lakhimpur Kheri, was reported on Friday.
Additional chief secretary (environment, forest and climate change) Manoj Singh, head of forest force Mamata Sanjeev Dubey and chief wildlife warden Sunil Chaudhary rushed to Dudhwa soon after the CM’s directives. Forest minister Arun Saxena, who was in Bareilly, was also expected to join the probe team.
The other two instances of tiger deaths were reported on May 31 and June 3.
While the tiger that was found dead on May 31 was suspected to have died after a violent fight with another tiger, based on the injury marks seen on its body, the post-mortem of another tiger revealed that it might’ve died of hunger as it couldn’t hunt due to its broken teeth, forest officials said.
“While the post-mortem reports of the first two tigers are out, we’re awaiting the report of the third, said Dubey. “We’ll be examining the circumstances that led to the death of the three tigers and prepare a report,” she added. The tiger deaths were reported on May 31, June 3 and Friday.
“The CM, who has a particular affection for the wildlife, has ordered the forest minister, additional chief secretary for forest, and other officers of the forest department to visit the Dudhwa National Park immediately, conduct a thorough investigation, and then submit its report,” said a press statement from the state government.
The Dudhwa National Park, which is reported to have over 100 tigers, is spread over an area of 490 square kilometres and is a major tourist site.
It was declared a tiger reserve in 1987 after it was found to have a significant population of Bengal tigers. The reserve is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and over 450 species of birds.
