Narmadapuram (Madhya Pradesh): The carcass of a tiger found in Sangakheda village behind the Pachmarhi hill station raised questions over the system of monitoring big cats.
According to sources in the forest department, the officials of the tiger reserve seemed to have been oblivious to the big cat, which went missing for near a month.
The carcass may have been of the tiger which was brought from Bandhavgarh, and a radio collar was put around its neck to monitor its movements.
After rescuing the tiger in 2023-24, the officials released it in the Churna area. Official sources said the radio collar was burnt to destroy the evidence.
Some villagers may have killed the tiger by giving poison because it killed a bull.
Four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. During an inquiry, it came to light that the tiger was poisoned to death.
When the officials caught a hint about the killing of the tiger, they launched a search and found the carcass of a bull.
With the help of a dog squad, the forest officials reached the field of a farmer, Udesingh, and recovered the body of the tiger.
According to sources, the farmer cultivates opium. According to field director of the Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) Rakhi Nanda, five persons, Udesingh, Bishanlal, Manohar, Kailal, and Manaksingh, were arrested and sent to jail.
The incident opened holes in the forest department's monitoring system. The tiger with a collar ID went missing for 24 days, but the forest officials did not even have a whiff of it.
According to sources, the STR management was not aware of the incident. On the other hand, wildlife experts said because the tiger had a collar ID, the forest officials should have monitored its movements. The forest department has begun an inquiry into the incident.
