Mysuru villagers took advantage of forest watchers’ stir, poisoned tiger

Forest watchers went on a strike on Monday, protesting against their salaries not being paid over the last few months.
 In the absence of staff in the forest, the accused -- Madaraja, Kunappa and Nagaraj -- poured poison on the carcass of the cow that had already been killed by the tigers.
In the absence of staff in the forest, the accused -- Madaraja, Kunappa and Nagaraj -- poured poison on the carcass of the cow that had already been killed by the tigers. (Photo | Express)
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MYSURU: The three accused arrested for the death of a tigress and her four cubs took advantage of a protest by forest watchers to lace the cow’s carcass with poison that led to the tigers consuming the poisoned meat and dying, sources said.

Forest watchers went on a strike on Monday, protesting against their salaries not being paid over the last few months. In the absence of staff in the forest, the accused -- Madaraja, Kunappa and Nagaraj -- poured poison on the carcass of the cow that had already been killed by the tigers.

They knew that the tigers would return to consume the meat two to three days after the kill and waited for their moment. They wanted to avenge the killing of their cow, the sources added.

The arrest of Madaraja, who is the son of a prominent leader in the locality -- Shivanna, has shocked many in the area.

‘Wildlife victims yet to get relief’

Sources said that Shivanna had surrendered before the police claiming that it was he who killed the tigers. But the police refused to arrest him as they had strong evidence to prove the involvement of Madaraja, the sources added.

Villagers said that far too many cattle heads have been lost in the recent past, and they had suspected the involvement of leopards behind the killings. But they were shocked to learn that tigers had hunted down the cow.

The villagers said they are angry as the forest department has not paid compensation to the families of those killed by the wildlife in recent months. Muni was trampled to death by an elephant, while those injured have not been compensated. No forest officials visited the villages after cows were killed by big cats, they added.

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