Activists shocked as pregnant tigress murdered, mutilated in Maha jungles

Activists and conservationists are agitated at the shocking news of a pregnant tigress with four foetuses in the womb being found brutally killed in the forests near Pandharkawada in Maharashtras YavatmalThe incident which happened last Sunday came to light a day later when the mutilated carcass was found in a pool of blood with the poachers having chopped off its front paws to extract the clawsThe wildlife community and officials have reacted strongly to the incident which occurred within the Mukutban ranges of the thick forests known to be frequented by tigers in the Vidarbha regionMember of State Board for Wildlife and Satpuda Foundation founder Kishore Rithe exposed the matter in public and demanded stringent action against the culpritpoachers responsible for the murder He termed it as one of the most horrible instances of a tigress death which has never been heard or witnessed in recent yearsA team of veterinarians comprising Dr Chetan Patond from Pench Tiger Project Dr Arun Jadhav from Wani Dr SS Chavan of Zari Dr DG Jadhav of Mukutban and Dr VC Jagde performed the autopsy on the tigress and the report is awaitedAs per preliminary investigations by forest officials the tigress in advanced stage of pregnancy was using an underground den with a small opening for rest and safetyApparently the stalking poachers may have espied her entering the den and they blocked its small opening with sticks and stones before setting it afire to suffocate and immobilise the tigressTo ensure her death they had pierced her body with sharp bamboo sticks or metal rods as she struggled inside the den causing severe injuries Later they dragged out her body and chopped off her paws said RitheThe forest officials have recovered bamboo sticks clutch wires and other evidence and also it came to light that she was just a month due before deliveryThe only similar incident I recall in over 30 years in wildlife was when a tigress was electrocuted in 2004 in Melghat which led to the abortion of her three cubs due to the massive electric shocks The latest incident is even more barbaric Rithe saidConservationist Varad Giri said that the country is losing its pride of an animal by such heartwrenching incidents and demanded strict action against the poachersSoon after the incident top officials including Pandharkawada Divisional Forest Officer Wildlife Subhash Puranik Mukutban Range Forest Officer Vijay Ware Honorary Wildlife Warden Dr Ramzan Virani representative of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Chief Conservator of Forest Wildlife in Nagpur Prakash Mahajan visited the spotThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever