(IN): Poaching stink in tiger death in park

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081120/jsp/nation/story_10136032.jsp

 

Poaching stink in tiger death in park

TAPAS CHAKRABORTY

 

*Lucknow, Nov. 19: *A tiger carcass was found in Dudhwa National Park this

morning, fuelling fears that poachers are still on the prowl in the reserve

along the border with Nepal.

 

Park officials said the carcass was at least 15 days old with most parts,

that are sold separately at high prices, missing. They suspect poachers

might have poisoned the two-year-old tiger, about six feet long, and removed

its organs.

 

" The body was rotting. Perhaps its smell alerted farmers who drew our

attention. We have sent the carcass for post-mortem, " said north

Lakhimpur-Kheri range divisional forest officer K.K. Singh after a visit to

the spot today.

 

The body was found near a small canal within the 1,093sqkm park. Wildlife

experts said it was unlikely the tiger died from a fall as it had crossed

over to the other side.

 

Forest officer Singh wouldn't say, however, that poachers were behind the

tiger's death. " We are yet to know specifically if it was poisoned. Its

teeth and testicles (which are often removed by poachers) are intact. Part

of its skin was missing but that may be from decomposition. Nothing is ruled

out. We have decided to test the waters in the canal where the carcass was

found. "

 

Bhupendra Singh, a wildlife expert and researcher in Lakhimpur-Kheri

district, where the park is located, suspected poachers. " We have seen

similar deaths before. The carcass is usually abandoned in some remote

corner of the park after removing its body parts. "

 

Poachers on the prowl in the region smuggle tiger skin and organs to Nepal,

from where they are sent to China, a key market, Bhupendra said. He added

that at least six tigers had been killed in the park since 2004.

 

A police officer in Lakhimpur-Kheri echoed the expert. " Tiger bones have

been in great demand in China and the poachers smuggle tiger parts to China

via Nepal. "

 

On January 12 this year,* *the carcass of a boneless tiger was found but

park officials had struggled to determine exactly how the animal died

because the discovery was made eight days after its death.

 

Lakhimpur-Kheri shares a porous border of over 56km with Nepal that poachers

use to cross over easily, police said. But some wildlife experts point a

finger at forest officers, saying they pass off suspected poaching cases as

natural deaths to escape responsibility.

 

The park, which had 175 tigers till March this year and is known for its

grasslands, marshes and lakes, has also suffered because of human

encroachment in recent years.

 

This March, the Uttar Pradesh government decided to relocate 1,500 villagers

in the park to save the tiger.

 

 

 

*Mystery shrouds tiger death in Dudhwa national

park***<http://www.ians.in/loginexists-news.php#>

*Indo-Asian News Service*

 

Lucknow, Nov 19 (IANS) Mystery shrouds the death of a tiger whose carcass

was discovered Tuesday in the thick of Uttar Pradesh's Dudhwa tiger reserve,

which is India's second largest after the world famous Corbett National

Park.

 

State wildlife officials claim that the tiger had met its end by drowning in

the Sotiya canal, a tributary of the Suheli river while wading through it.

But the local villagers attribute the death to a fierce battle between the

animal and a crocodile.

 

In a completely divergent view, some wildlife experts in the region have

opined that the tiger died of poisoning.

 

This is the third tiger death in Dudhwa since February last.

 

The post-mortem report was anxiously awaited from the Indian Veterinary

Research Institute (IVRI), where the carcass was sent on Tuesday itself.

Sources in IVRI confirmed a fracture on the tiger's skull, which is an

indication of a conflict with another animal.

 

The claims and counter-claims notwithstanding, the body of the animal was

found in a highly decomposed condition. There was no disputing that the

tiger's death had occurred about 10-15 days ago.

 

The official theory of " drowning " is not accepted by anyone. Even district

forest officer K.K. Singh admitted that the Dudhwa tigers were " good

swimmers. "

 

However, park director Uma Shankar Singh sought to recall the spurt of tiger

deaths in Dudhwa in the mid-eighties when drowning was eventually confirmed

as the cause of death. But, according to official records, even in that

case, poisoning preceded drowning.

 

The then Dudhwa director, G.C. Misra, told IANS: " Local villagers were found

sprinkling some poisonous chemical on the kill left behind by the tiger. "

 

" When the animal would return to the feed the next day, the poison would not

only induce semi-consciousness but also acute thirst that would force it to

rush to the Suheli river, where he would drown in the rapids, " he said.

 

Dudhwa recorded a tiger population of 106 as per the official census

undertaken last year. Wildlife experts, however, see it as an

" over-estimation " .

 

 

 

 

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