BENGALURU: The death of a five-year-old male tiger caught in a snare in a coffee estate near Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR) on Tuesday morning has raised many concerns. Locals sighted the carcass in the estate – 5km outside Dubare forest in Meenakolli section of Kushalnagar, in Srimangala village in Kodagu territorial forest division – around 10am.
“Preliminary information reveals the tiger died on Tuesday morning. The carcass is not old. However, the injury reveals the tiger was caught in the snare two days ago. The tiger dragged itself while trying to come free for two days, and died of asphyxiation on Tuesday morning. The final postmortem report is awaited. There was a 2-inch deep wound around its neck. All its canines and claws were intact,” said Abhishek V, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Madikeri.
“It seems the animal got snared elsewhere and died in the estate. Blood stains were found 2-3km from the site where the carcass was found. A detailed blood sample analysis is being done. We are combing the area to find snares and the exact location where the incident happened. A dog squad from HD Kote has been brought for investigation, and the team has covered 600 metres of the region,” Abhishek added.
The tiger was documented by the State forest department and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and camera-trapped during the previous tiger estimation, when it was a cub in NTR. “A detailed investigation is being conducted.
The tiger was not reported to be in conflict. It was a young adult using the forest boundary and coffee estate region as its territory. No case of cattle kill was reported in the region in the past couple of months,” added Sonal Vrishni, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kodagu Circle.
In the past few months, human intervention killed six tigers in Karnataka. While this is the first tiger death due to a snare in recent times, conservationists point to wild boars and small animals dying in snares around forest patches.
A senior forest official said, “Due to the recent rise in conflict, rescue and rehabilitation cases, snare and jaw trap seizure drives were put on hold. So far, no case has been booked. If the animal died elsewhere, it clearly reflects that ground staffers have not been combing the area, especially when around 10 young tigers have been documented to be wandering outside the forest patch, trying to establish territory. With rising conflicts, staffers must be on constant vigil. Green pastures inside and outside forests with a promising prey base is ideal for tigers.”
MinisterSpeak
Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre held a meeting with senior forest officials in Belagavi and directed staffers to clear all snares and create awareness among people. He said action will be taken against those involved in the tiger’s death
Previous Tiger Deaths
First incident in a jaw trap was reported in NTR in Mastigudi in 2002; second in 2014-15 on NTR boundary
In 2021, forest mobile squad recovered jaw trap, tiger and leopard skins