MYSURU: The forest department may hand over the case of attempted poaching of a tiger at Nagarahole, to the Mysuru district police.

The foresters, who have launched an investigation into the poaching of the five-year-old big cat at Basavanagiri, a tribal hamlet bordering Nagarahole tiger reserve, are collecting evidence. This is following medical reports that the tiger could have been shot at from close range .

Following the revelation, the forest department registered a case and filed an FIR at the HD Kote court under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. As the medical examination suggests use of firearms, the foresters are seeking to enlist the support of cops.

"We'd invoked provisions contained in the Wildlife Protection Act. As firearms are suspected to have been used, the Arms Act, 1959, has to be invoked and cops have the authority to do it," DCF (Mysuru circle) V Karikalan told The Times of India. We'll seek the court's permission to proceed further once we have the preliminary report, he said. The report is expected to be ready by Monday.

Sources said cops have the expertise to probe the case as it requires the involvement of forensic experts. Police can take forensic assistance easily, unlike foresters, they stated. As it's an attempt to poach the tiger, criminal intent is to be investigated, which the cops can effectively probe, they argued. Going by the nature of the injury, experts had suggested the tiger was shot at from close range.

A team of forensic experts visited Mysuru Zoo, where the tiger is housed, and looked at the medical reports. The forensic team's deduction is that the tiger was shot at with a firearm, sources said.

Meanwhile, the injured tiger, which is lodged at the zoo hospital, will be examined by experts before the zoo authorities take a call on amputating its badly injured right limb. A senior official said the experts are likely to decide on surgical intervention on Saturday.

However, the tiger will not be lucky enough to be either released back into the woods or displayed at a zoo. ThDCF ruled out chances of the tiger making it to the band of big cats housed at the conservation centre. If it's spared amputation, it is not likely to recover fully. We'll have to move it to a rehabilitation centre, he said.

In 2006, a tiger from Nagarahole was caught in a jaw trap laid by poachers and lost its limb. It was later named Masti, given that it was caught at Mastikatte inside the tiger reserve, and moved to Bannerghatta Biological Park's rehab centre. Masti died two years ago.