[FEL-L] Maneater mistaken for tigress shot dead brutally

[BigCatSimba at aol.com]

Maneater mistaken for tigress shot dead brutally

 
Nagesh Dachewar

 
Sunday, December 2, 2007 (Chandrapur)
 

 
There have been 22 deaths in as many months in the villages surrounding the 
Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district. 

Shot 16 times in Chandrapur's Tadoba tiger reserve, the Forest Department 
proudly displays its trophy, a maneater, which has been brutally killed.

It can be ascertained as a classic case of desperate measures under desperate 
circumstances. 

Mob fury reigned after a boy was mauled to death in these fields. The 
20-year-old is the 22nd victim in as many months and forest officers were under 
pressure to produce results. 

Thursday saw a brutal victory being handed over to them on a platter.

''After the tiger was hit by the first bullet, it turned and tried to attack 
the shooter. At the same time, the other 3 shooters fired at the tiger,'' said 
Rishikesh Ranjan, Assistant Conservator of Forests.

But the Forest Department has been under fire for what is seen as a vengeful 
attack on endangered species. Shoot at sight orders were issued two weeks ago, 
when another life was taken.

Here, forest guards and policemen are armed with rifles, they don't know how 
to use, making them armed and dangerous. And now confusion surrounding 
pugmarks, thought to belong to a tigress, believed to have struck on Wednesday.

But this is what they came up with instead, a tiger!

Justifying the kill, forest officers now claim the tracks were distorted in 
the wet sand and hence the gender mix-up ensued. It was a tiger - not a tigress 
- that had struck.

The disturbing visuals of the tiger being skinned in full view of the 
villagers, during what the forest department passes off as a post-mortem, are 
shocking to say the least.

While forest officers think they've found a solution to the man-animal 
conflict in the Tadoba reserve, the fact remains that it's not the solution at all.

_http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070034614&ch=12/2/2
007%209:04:00%20AM_ 
(http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070034614&ch=12/2/2007%209:04:00%20AM) 




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