Adult Tiger Poached Near Madhya Pradesh's Satpura Reserve

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): An adult tiger has been poached in the outer limit of Satpura Tiger Reserve in Narmadapuram, raising fresh concerns over wildlife crime.

The big cat’s body was found floating in the backwaters of the Tawa river near the village Bercheda on Friday, with a snare around its neck and one of its paws chopped off. 

Field Director, Satpura Tiger Reserve, Rakhi Nanda, confirmed to the Free Press that it was a case of poaching, and an investigation is underway to unmask the accused. 

The body of the tiger, aged around 10 years, seems to be a day old.

Sources said the tiger might have tried to run away after the snare got fastened around its neck, thus breaking the main support of the snare. But the snare suffocated the feline, killing it. The animal must have drowned in a local nullah and then flowed into the backwaters, they said. 

Satpura’s 2nd tiger death in 10 days

This incident comes close on the heels of an adult tiger found dead in the Lagda beat of the Satpura Tiger Reserve on August 12. That feline was around 12 years old and was said to have died following a territorial fight with another tiger. 

HoFF had flagged security lapse 

Only a couple of days ago, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Head of Forest Force (HoFF), V.N. Ambade, had questioned the security arrangement of Satpura Tiger Reserve.

In a letter written to all Field Directors of Tiger Reserves, Ambade said that in the last 20-25 days, five to six tigers and leopards have died in reserves and regional forests. So many deaths in such a short span put a question mark on wildlife protection arrangements, he said. 

Talking about tiger death in Pench and Satpura Tiger reserve, he said he found it strange that when two tigers are involved in a territorial fight, their growls can be heard till far away, but the staff of Satpura remained unaware of the death.