CHENNAI: Animal rights activists and residents joined hands at Elliot's beach on Sunday to condemn the killing of tigress Avni in Maharashtra, a few days ago. They marched on the pedestrian pathway raising slogans against wildlife killings and demanded strict action against those responsible for Avni’s death.
Avni, the mother of two ten-month-old cubs, was shot by marksman Asgar Ali on November 2 on the orders of the State government for allegedly killing 13 people in Yavatmal territorial forest. The Maharashtra government’s failure to tranquilise the tigress has come under fire from various parties and activists.
Animal rights activist Sumita Pai deemed the killing a ‘cold-blooded murder’ which is part of the larger agenda to open up the forests to industries after wildlife is slowly removed. “Avni and her cubs remained in the forest, which is their home. Humans who were killed had ventured into the forest. Hence, neutralising the tiger makes no sense,” Pai said, claiming that there was no substantial proof that it was Avni who was responsible for the killings.
Continuing on Pai’s tangent, activists also pointed out that the number of tiger deaths and killings in the country over the last two years had crossed the 200 marks, suggesting that Avni’s killing should not be regarded as an isolated incident.
“What’s the point of using the tiger on the ‘Make In India’ logo and having it on Ashok Chakra if a government is killing it” questioned Sandeep Krishnan, a city resident.
Surprisingly, the protest in Chennai, which is part of a chain of protests held simultaneously across 23 places in the country and 11 global locations, also enjoyed the patronage of youth.
“Wildlife is disappearing fast, it is time we demanded information and put those responsible for horrific crimes against wildlife like this one on the dock and deter future incidents,” said Sharmila S, a student.