Questions raised over efforts to capture T1 tigress’ second cub
| Date :24-Apr-2019 |
By Ramesh Marulkar:
Even as four months have passed by, the Forest Department has not met with any success in capturing the T1-C1 sub-adult cub moving in Pandharkwada Forest Division of Yavatmal district. It has raised a question mark on the operation as to whether forestmen really want to capture the beast moving in Loni and Sarati areas in Ralegaon tehsil or not. Officials and teams of Forest Department and Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) had captured orphaned T1-C2 female cub of the menacing T1 tigress on December 22, 2018 after shooting down the mother tigress on the night of November 2018. Officials were of the view that both cubs, now getting into in sub-adult age, could prove problematic as they had tasted human blood.
The menacing tigress had killed as many as 13 persons in some 22 villages in the division during the last two years, creating terror among villagers. Officials feared that the two cubs could also create problems. Therefore, they had launched an operation to capture them. The female cub was captured four months ago. Officials then continued their operation along with veterinary doctors, Rapid Rescue Team from Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve, FDCM staff and field staff members, but in vain. Reliable sources informed that the T1-C1 male sub-adult cub is not stable at one particular place. It also does not come in the open enclosure put up near Compartment No 655. Due to rising temperature, the beast prefers to hide near nullahs and other small water bodies. Another problem is that the area is undulating and hence it becomes difficult to locate the animal. Trained elephants also cannot be pressed into service.
The monitoring and search operation begins early in the morning daily. Officials have also kept ponies and goats as baits to lure the sub-adult tiger in Compartment No 655 and 657 near Loni village. Moreover, they have installed total 72 camera traps and kept 30 pug-mark impression pads at strategic points to collect indirect evidence of movement of the big cat. It is reported that the sub-adult tiger killed calf of a blue bull recently. Forestmen collected samples and sent them to Centre for Cellulor & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad for analysis. Officials feel that the tiger is healthy and has capacity to kill deer, small animals, goats etc and hence it is fit for survival in its natural habitat.
Sources pointed out that the search operation was taken up for one-and-a-half years to capture T1 tigress, then for T1-C2 female and now for T1-C1 male sub-adult and crores of rupees have already been spent by deploying manpower for one paticular activity during the last two years. This exercise has also invariably affected other forestry works. The sources wanted that forestmen should either undertake the operation seriously or take a decision to leave the beast in its natural habitat.