Nagarahole Tiger Reserve has witnessed fifth death of a tiger in less than three months. This time, a female tiger allegedly killed its cub. But wildlife activists have urged the forest department to hold an in-depth investigation into the incident.
On Friday, a forest patrol team discovered the carcass of two-year-old tiger cub in DB Kuppe wildlife range. Forest officials said the female tiger had mauled its cub to death and it was not a case of poisoning. They also said that it was not strange among big cats that the mother kills its cub. According to the officials, the autopsy had revealed deep canine injuries.
"The patrol team sighted the dead cub and the mother sitting close to the carcass. Forest officials had earlier seen the mother roaming with three of its cubs," said Belliappa, in-charge of Nagarahole Tiger Reserve.
"It is possible that the cubs are on the verge of separating from their mother to establish their territories. But the third cub may have refused to do so, and this could have led the mother to kill the cub in rage", he said.
Wildlife conservationists are not buying into this theory. "We have been losing tigers in Nagarahole. Forest officials must look into other angles too," said a conservationist from Mysore.
Courtesy:-deccanchronicle
No comments:
Post a Comment
To our readers: Registration is required before your comments can be posted. Constructive and respectful comments related to the topic of the story are welcome; abusive, crass or vulgar comments are not. Comments containing vulgar words will be filtered out. Please make sure your language is civil and your comment furthers the conversation. Personal attacks on others who comment are not appropriate. Hateful, racist or threatening comments are not allowed. This is not a spot for free advertising or spam. We encourage you to help us uphold these standards by reporting abuse where appropriate. Ignoring the standards will result in your comment being removed. Repeat offenders will be banned. If warranted, we will take down entire comment boards.