Tiger was killed in ‘unwarranted firing’ by forest guard: Official

The carcass of the 10-year-old tiger with a bullet wound was found on June 18 at Japoripathar village close to Kohora range of the park. The forest department had initially said that the death was due to “accidental firing while trying to scare away the tiger from the public area.”

The death of an adult male tiger last week on the fringes of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) in Assam due to firing by forest personnel was unwarranted, an inquiry into the incident by a forest official revealed.

The carcass of the 10-year-old tiger with a bullet wound was found on June 18 at Japoripathar village close to Kohora range of the park. The forest department had initially said that the death was due to “accidental firing while trying to scare away the tiger from the public area.”

However, on Sunday, a statement by KNPTR stated that an inquiry into the incident conducted by an assistant conservator of forest revealed that the firing was unwarranted and based on its finding, the forest personnel responsible for the death was suspended.

A post-mortem of the carcass had revealed bullet injury through lungs and heart of the animal, the statement informed.

A day before it was shot, the tiger had killed a cow “probably because of the fact that it had three worn out canines while one was missing”.

Three carcasses of tigers have been recovered from KNPTR this year.

Earlier this month, the carcass of a four-year-old male tiger was found at Sidha Kathani area of the park.

According to forest officials, the carcass bore multiple injury marks and it was stated that the tiger died after sustaining grievous injuries during a fight with another male tiger.

The carcass of a female tiger cub with puncture marks on neck and broken ribs was found in the park in February. Forest officials said the cub, aged around 4 months, might have been killed by a bigger tiger.

As per the 2017 census, Kaziranga had a population of 111 tigers.