ONGOLE: The 5-member high-level inquiry committee formed to study the suspicious deaths of Tigers in the Nallamala- NSTR forest areas headed by P Mallikarjuna Rao, adviser to the AP Forest Department visited the NSTR- Giddaluru division on Wednesday and inspected the Tettumadugu area where an adult tiger carcass was reportedly found in suspicious conditions after about 10 days of its death.
The team inquired with NSTR-Giddaluru officials about the investigation progress and other related issues.
Further, the team went to various localities around the place where the tiger’s body was found and spoke to the villagers regarding its claws and also other wild animal poaching activities in the area.
They took statements from the concerned forest department staff regarding the incident.
The forest officials explained to the Committee that they booked 7 accused and seized 7 claws along with pieces of tiger’s limb bones, one axe and a country-made gun used to kill the big cat.
The Forensic lab reports will give further clarification regarding the killing of the Tiger, they informed. The forest department officials said that the main accused reportedly informed them during the interrogation that the tiger hit the electrical fencing of the banana orchard and fell unconscious, and then they shot it. Later, they severed its limbs and claws and shifted the body of the big cat into the Tettumadugu forest area. The officials visited the banana orchard and inspected the area.
The High-level Committee went to Pachharla and conducted a special review meeting with all the NSTR- Deputy Directors and discussed the measures to be taken for the protection of big cats.
Speaking on this occasion, the Committee explained that, “We will submit a preliminary enquiry report to the Government with our findings within a short time. We will prepare and submit a comprehensive report to the Government regarding the measures to be taken for the effective conservation of the big cats in the NSTR’s along with other wild animals and to safeguard our forests.” Committee Members Rahul Pandey, B Raja Sekhar, Imran Siddhiqi, M Naveen Kumar, NSTR Field Director Yashoda Bai and others inspected the area.
