Once considered as breeding ground of tigers, Madhya Pradesh is fast earning the notoriety of being the graveyard of the striped feline as one more big cat was found dead on Saturday under mysterious circumstances within Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) in Hoshangabad district. This is the 12th tiger death reported from the State this year.
The tiger is suspected to have died of either poisoning or electrocution as the carcass was found in a rotten state due to which the actual cause of death would be ascertained only after autopsy for which veterinary experts have been called.
Meanwhile, highly placed sources in the department have blamed it on lethargy of STR officials. “The deputy director had been posted there for more than six years now. Field director had been busy with working plan for six months since joining. They are least bothered about patrolling in the forest. It is their negligence that is causing more dangerous," said an officer wishing anonymity.
Moreover, top forest officials had been sitting on recommendations to transfer the sub-divisional officer (SDO) in charge of Bohri Rajendra Singh Chouhan. "Entire staff of STR should be changed with immediate affect or more tigers would die," said the officer.
Earlier, a tiger was run over by a train between Budhni and Mid-Ghat area in Sehore district. Another tiger and a leopard were found dead under mysterious circumstances at the same spot on February 23. Sources say that a wrong chain-fencing around the mid-ghat railway track might be causing frequent deaths at this spot.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey while talking to The Pioneer over the issue said tiger population can have mortality rates as high as 20 per cent annually as per some studies. “This means lots of tigers die every year but the population is replenished by newborns. This also means, with higher population, more tigers will die naturally," he added.