Even after more than a month of poaching and killing of tigers in Odisha and Maharashtra, the Governments of the two States are yet to initiate any punitive action against officials responsible for the incidents which had sparked outrage and triggered the controversy across the country.

The National Tiger Conservation of Authority (NTCA) had shot off letters to the respective State Governments to fix responsibilities and take action in the matters. However, the states are yet to reply in the matter, prompting the top tiger conservation body to issue reminders to the department concerned.

Expressing its displeasure over poaching of a male tiger (T1) which was along with a tigress (T2) was translocated from Madhya Pradesh to Satkosia Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha last month, the NTCA had asked the State wildlife officials to take immediate action against those responsible for the unfortunate incident which, it said, had resulted in “an embarrassment” and keeping the interstate translocation project in abeyance.

The T1 that was shifted from Kanha National Park fell victim to poachers’ snare and killed, a NTCA team had found in mid November, 2018  while the T2 that was translocated from Bandhavgarh, has been kept in a confinement for almost a month after she had allegedly killed two villagers.

These big cats were shifted under tiger augmentation project considering potential, connectivity and history of STR. However, poaching of the T1 had had triggered storm in the State with wildlife activists questioning logic behind sending the striped cats to the region without ensuring their protection.

In its inspection report, the NTCA team had after the field inspection report, found that “…  death of T-1 took place due to poaching and authorities have not yet proceeded with logical investigation. There have been attempts to conceal factors behind its death, which is due to snaring. This warrants serious action against all concerned.”

Maharashtra too seems to have look other way in the case of tigress Avni which was killed in violations of several rules and set guidelines in the Pandharkwada forest in Yavatmal last month, as per an investigation committee formed by the NTCA.

Avni was shot dead on November 2 by a team of forest staff members, and Asghar Ali, the son of independent sharpshooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, who was hired by the forest department. The department wanted to either tranquilise the animal or kill it, as Avni was said to have killed 13 people since June 2016. A week after Avni’s death, the central government, through NTCA had formed a  panel to investigate into the death.

“The State authorities of Maharashtra have been informed on December 3 to take requisite action in respect of violations of standard operating procedure of NTCA guidelines, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and Arms Act, 1959,” said the NTCA report.

A showcause notice has also been issued to the Maharashtra forest department. However, the two State Governments seems to have ignored the NTCA’s query, leaving it look like a paper tiger.