Special Task Force team of Forest department has found hunters of Tiger, killed at Kanha Tiger Park on October 22.The team has arrested six hunters namely Devi Singh, Dheer Singh, Gyan Singh, Sunderlal, Dharm Singh and Chotelal from Manegaon and has recovered electricity wire used to kill the tiger. The hunters have admitted the crime.
Field Director Pankaj Shukla was informed by the hunters that they had no intention to kill the tiger. They had spread out electricity wire to hunt wild boar or deer, but unfortunately tiger got trapped. They were frightened and dragged tiger’s carcass and hidden it in the lantana shrubs. After that Devi Singh and Chotelal had cut off all the four paws of the tiger with an intention to generate money. In the meantime STF team reached the spot with the dogs. Frightened to get caught, Devi Singh set ablaze all the four paws at lonely place near Banjar River. But with the help of the dogs and gathered information, the team reached the spot and arrested the culprits.
Devi Singh has also shown the spot where they set ablaze the paws of the tiger. The team has recovered the half burnt paws of the tiger from the spot.
Notably, the carcass of a tiger with its paws missing was found at the Kanha Reserve on Saturday. This was the second tiger death in the state in this month, though the first was of a tigress which died from starvation, the year-old striped feline had poor hunting skills. So far eight tigers have died in Kanha this year since January, a troubling incidence as it raises the number of deaths in the state to 23 for this year alone.
According to the tiger census, in January 2015, the big cat’s population had increased to 308 from 257 in 2010 in Madhya Pradesh. However since then, 34 tigers have died in the state.