Forest dept rescues 2 tiger cubs from irate villagers pelting stones at them

A video of human-wildlife conflict wherein villagers pelting stones at two tiger cubs has gone viral on social media. The video of the incident which reportedly took place on Tuesday morning in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district has angered wildlife activists and social media users.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district, two tiger cubs were injured in an attack by angry villagers, who were later rescued by the forest department. The video of irate villagers pelting stones at the cubs has gone viral on social media and had angered wildlife activists and enthusiasts alike.

A video has been doing rounds on social media wherein irate villages can be seen pelting stones at two tiger cubs. The unfortunate incident that has angered social media users, took place in Madhya Pradesh’s Seoni district, injuring one of the cubs. The cubs were, however, rescued by a team of officials from the forest department who later shifted the cubs to the animal hospital situated in Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Mandla district.

KTR's veterinarian Dr Sandeep Agarwal reportedly said that the cubs, aged about four to six months, had become weak due to starvation. They were rescued and brought to the tiger reserve on Tuesday. One of the cubs had received injuries; it was given treatment and continues to be under observation while it is on the road to recovery.

As per reports, the two tiger cubs will be kept in the animal enclosure at Kanha’s Mukki range. Once recovered, they will be released into the Gorilla re-wilding centre at the reserve. Once the cubs have learned to survive on their own in the wild, they will be transferred back to the jungles.

Officials said the cubs, who were injured in an attack by angry villagers in Seoni district on Tuesday morning, were later rescued by a team from the forest department. A video of the incident that surfaced online, showed a cub limping while a group of people were seen pelting stones. In the video, some other people were seen trying to stop them.

Meanwhile, the video that is viral on social media, has angered many wildlife activities. Bhopal-based wildlife activist, Ajay Dubey, said that the incident highlights the insensitivity of the people. He also mentioned that the cubs were separated from their mother.

According to the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh leads the country in maximum tiger population with an estimated number of 526 tigers. It is followed by Karnataka which stands at 524 tigers.