10 tigers killed in two months, what is happening in Karnataka reserves?

6 tigers have died due to snares installed for killing wild boars.
The state government issued a notification allowing hunting of wild boars for which snares are installed.
A four-member committee has been formed to investigate that will submit its findings in eight weeks.

10 tigers killed in two months in Karnataka reserves

Between December 2016 and January this year till now, 10 tigers have died in the state of Karnataka and eight of them died in Nagarhole-Bandipur region. Apart from this alarming number, another shocking fact is that most of the deaths are not under natural circumstances.

In this month itself, six tigers have died due to snares, and allegedly one tigress died because of the overdose of tranquillizers. Most recently, in Kodagu, two tigers died because of the injuries caused by snares supposedly installed for killing wild boars.

In fact, the increasing number of snares in Kodagu has become a matter of concern for the forest department. Ever since the state government allowed hunting of wild boars two tigers, two sloth bears, and three leopards have been the victim of the deadly traps. The government’s permit is threatening the conservation efforts in the Karnataka reserves.

In view of this, the forest officials, as well as the conservationists, are calling for a withdrawal of the notification that allows hunting. According to activists, this order is setting a dangerous precedent, and also it has led to increasing in organised hunting as well as wildlife smuggling.

Further, forest department officials and experts also had a meeting to devise a ‘scientifically backed action plan’. Apart from this, the forest minister B Ramanath Rai has also disclosed that a four-member committee of experts has been formed to probe into the recent deaths of tigers.

According to a report in The Hindu, this committee will submit their report in eight weeks. For the time being, officials are monitoring the tiger movement around Lakshmantheertha rivulet where most deaths have occurred.

However, the immediate measures do not seem to be adequate to ensure that no more tiger dies due to snares or any other human errors. The committee that has been formed will also take two months time to investigate the cause of the deaths and to recommend various measures. Also, the state government has not yet withdrawn its order permitting hunting of wild boars despite multiple deaths of the endangered species.

Will the state government and forest department act promptly to not make 2017 the worst year for tiger conservation in Karnataka?

Last Updated Mar 31, 2018, 6:32 PM IST