A four-year-old pregnant tigress has been brutally killed on Sunday by unidentified poachers in Maharashtra. The tigress was carrying four fetuses of 60 days in her womb. If not for this horrendous act of insanity, she would have given birth to the cubs next month.
The wild animal was found dead on Sunday around 10:30 am near a nullah in Mangurla Forest Reserve by local villagers. The villagers then informed the Forest Department and the concerned official reached the spot.
Barbaric act of humanity demonstrated by selfish poachers in Mangurla Forest Reserve | Image: New Indian Express
According to veterinarians, the carcass was around three or four days old. Its body had seven injury marks, the front two paws were chopped, and ribs were broken. The body also had deep puncture wounds. They have suspected that she was first choked to death as burnt bamboos were found at the cave’s entrance. Her face and body had blisters caused due to the fire.
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DFO (Wildlife), Pandharkawda, Subhash Puranik said,
She was attacked with sharp-edged weapons. Later, the poachers must have entered the cave and removed the paws with an axe. Other body parts were intact indicating the culprits were not organized, poachers. Looking at the spot, it seems it may be the handiwork of some locals engaged in making bamboo mats. Wire snares were also found near the spot.
It is the second time in over a month that a tigress has been poached in Pandharkawda. On March 23, a tigress had died due to a wire snare in Ghonsa village in the Maregaon forest range.
This is the 17th tiger death that has been reported in Maharashtra during the last three months. Out of these, about 11 tigers have been killed due to poaching or under mysterious circumstances.
The number of deaths of tigers reported in Maharashtra in the last three months is much higher as compared to overall tiger deaths that have occurred during the last three years. As many as 20 tiger deaths were reported in 2018 and 2020 while about 22 tigers died in the year 2019.
Via: The Times of India