NTCA suggests human dummies to capture problematic RT-1 tiger
| Date :23-Oct-2020 |
By Kaushik Bhattacharya :
Keeping stock from the media reports appeared about the Forest Department staff was being used as bait to trap the RT-1 tiger in Chandrapur, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has issued an advisory to Maharashtra Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) to nsure the Forest Department employees’ safety during the process of capturing of the male beast.
NTCA recommended the use of only ‘human dummies with a bent posture’ as bait and not humans while capturing the tiger and asked for a report at the earliest regarding the allegations. So far, the Maharashtra Forest Department have failed to capture the RT-1 tiger, who is said to have killed eight people and injured three others since January 2019 at Rajura in Chandrapur forest division. Forest Department have deployed one tranquilising expert and veterinarian inside a cage near the bait to trap the beast. But some media reports said that the Department has placed human bait in the cage for the tiger, however the senior officials denied the allegations. The CWLW has renewed the capture order four times since February 2020 and recently the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest renewed the order till Dec 31.
The method to capture the elusive RT-1 drew flak after a letter issued by the Rajura Range Forest Officer (RFO) stated that the forest staff would be deployed daily between October 11 and 18 from 8 pm and 6 am. NTCA’s advisory letter, which was shared with the CWLW on October 19, stated that two wildlife welfare groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Earth Brigade Foundation and Prakriti Foundation had drawn the former’s attention citing news reports published from Nagpur regarding the alleged use of front-line forest staff as bait to capture RT-1. “It is requested to ascertain the veracity of the media articles and take necessary corrective action, if required.
An Action Taken Report (ATR) in the matter may be submitted to this authority (NTCA) at the earliest,” reads NTCA’s letter. N R Praveen, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Chandrapur, said, “We have not received any advisory from the NTCA, but we maintain that there is no breach of guidelines. Human beings have not and are not being used as bait.” Wildlife activists said any operation to capture the tiger after sunset was against NTCA’s guidelines. Activists alleged that the Maharashtra Forest Department did not have expert teams comprising wildlife biologists, local trackers, skilled, trained wildlife veterinarians, camp elephants and mahouts to capture wild tigers on the move. “The anguish among the villagers are increasing day by day and the Forest Department is helpless with no proper expertise,” said wildlife activist Parag Dangre to The Hitavada.