11 July,2017 09:54 AM IST | Brahmapuri | Ranjeet Jadhav
After a two-week hunt since the tiger in south Brahmapuri area near the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) was declared a problem animal following a man-animal conflict, it was finally tranquilised on Monday afternoon by the forest department team
Representational pic
After a two-week hunt since the tiger in south Brahmapuri area near the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) was declared a problem animal following a man-animal conflict, it was finally tranquilised on Monday afternoon by the forest department team.
Though there is no confirmation on the identity of the officer who tranquilised the animal, controversial sharp shooter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan was reported to be involved in the operation. Usually, the department faces backlash over the exercise by active members of the wildlife fraternity.
Three teams formed
Confirming the development, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wildlife Warden of Maharashtra, A K Mishra said, "Our forest department team, along with the experts, has finally tranquilised the problem tiger that was responsible for human deaths in the Brahmapuri area. The tiger will now be taken for a medical examination after which, a decision on its future will be made."
On June 23, Mishra had ordered that the tiger responsible for attacks on humans and cattle be shot.
Following the orders, three teams along with the C60 commandos from Maharashtra police, veterinary doctors and tranquilising experts were called in to track the animal.
However, activists did not take kindly to the decision.
Dr Jerryl Avinash Banait, a wildlife enthusiast, approached the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court with a request that the orders be cancelled, which was ruled in his favour.
Later, the forest department amended it plan and after the tigress made a cattle kill, tranquilising expert built a machaan on a tree a few meters away from the site of the kill and when the tiger came to feed on its kill, it was tranquilised.
