Angry villagers 'poison' tiger to death

June 7, 2006

[ASSAM]

Copyright Indo-Asian News Service

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Angry villagers 'poison' tiger to death

By Indo Asian News Service

Nagaon (Assam), June 3 (IANS) Annoyed by frequent lifting of their

cattle by a predator tiger, villagers near a wildlife sanctuary in

Assam allegedly poisoned the big cat to death, officials said

Saturday.

The skin, bones and vital organs of the tiger were found missing at

Lathimari, north of the Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary, about 150 km

from Assam's main city Guwahati, earlier this week. But a partially

consumed carcass of a domestic buffalo was found nearby.

'This might be a case of poisoning. The tiger might have killed one

of their buffaloes during the night, which prompted the irate

villagers to plot his death by putting poison on the dead cattle,'

forest officials said.

The tissue samples of the carcass have been sent to the Forensic

Laboratory in Guwahati to examine the exact cause of death. A

departmental inquiry has also been initiated.

'This is for the first time a tiger is being poisoned to death here

though a good number of domestic cattle are killed by tigers every

year,' said Shimanta Goswami of Green Guards, a wildlife NGO.

According to the 2005 tiger census conducted in the state, there are

some 16 tigers in the sanctuary.

In the past few decades, encroachments in the area have resulted in

frequent man-animal conflicts. In 2002, a tigress and a cub were

found dead on a riverine island close to the sanctuary.

Prajna Paramita Panda, programme officer of Wildlife Trust of India,

said the domestic cattle close to wildlife habitats also increase

the threat of communicable diseases found in livestock that can

easily pass on to the wild animals.

Laokhowa Wildlife sanctuary was established in 1904 with a

geographical area of 70 sq. km. At present, 22 sq. km of the

sanctuary has been encroached.

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