Sunderbans tiger cub found dead

The Times of India , Friday, July 31, 2015
Correspondent : TNN
KOLKATA: A day after the state celebrated the 'Global Tiger Day', a cub was found dead in the Sunderbans on Thursday morning. While the preliminary reports suggest it to be a case of natural death, conservationists refuse to take the matter lightly because of the site from where the carcass was recovered — Jhila — a place close to the Bangladesh border and often frequented by illegal fishermen and cattle smugglers from the neighbouring country. This is the second tiger death in the mangroves this year.

Foresters said that a team while patrolling the Jhila 3 compartment found the carcass floating on a creek. "It's a male cub, aged between one and one-and-a-half years. All body parts are intact and there is no injury mark on its body. So far, it doesn't seem to be a case of poaching. Detailed report will be available only after post mortem," said Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve director Pradeep Vyas. According to him, the cub might have died two-three days back

Meanwhile, sources said that the cub died after drowning in the river. "It was also starved. Probably, it was crossing the creek while chasing a prey animal but couldn't adjust itself with the water current," said a source.

In March 2013, the carcass of a full-grown tiger was found from the Jhila 5 compartment. In June 2012, carcass of another cub was found floating on the Raimangal river close to the Bangladesh border. Earlier in 2008, carcass of a tiger with two bullet injuries on its head was found floating on the Jhila river. Involvement of deer poachers and cattle smugglers from Bangladesh was linked to it.

On Thursday, the foresters also spotted the pugmarks of a full-grown big cat in the areas close to the site where the cub's carcass was found. "Since no injury mark was found on its body, we don't think it was killed by another male tiger. It could be the pugmarks of its mother too. Sometimes, cubs fail to keep pace with their mothers and get separated from them. On a terrain like the Sunderbans, it becomes all the more difficult for a cub to survive without its mother," said a senior forester. Vyas said that a three-member team of doctors will do the post mortem and confirm the reason of the death. A source said the carcass that had just started showing signs of decay was brought to Sajnekahli.

State wildlife advisory board member Biswajit Roy Chowdhury said that considering the area, where the carcass was found, the forest department should not take it lightly. "It can be a case of poisoning too," he added. Another member of the board, Joydip Kundu, said: "It's unfortunate to lose a tiger, that too a day after the 'Global Tiger Day'. The fact-finding — the proper reason behind the death — should be the priority now. Apart from putting in place a proper infrastructure to carry out autopsy in such cases in the Sunderbans itself, I also appeal to the state to immediately fill up all vacancies in the Sunderbans so that protection gets the utmost importance."

On being asked about other reasons behind the death of a tiger in the swamp, Vyas said: "Birth anomaly can also be a reason. Sometimes cubs in the Sunderbans fail to adjust themselves with high tides and get flown away in the water current."

Earlier in March, a tigress with a radio collar was found dead in the mangroves. Interestingly, no tiger death was reported officially from the mangroves last year. On being asked about this, Vyas said: "On these difficult terrains, it's very hard to recover carcass if there's a tiger death. Since this carcass was floating on a river, we could spot it. If it had happened deep inside the mangroves, we couldn't even find it."

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Sunderbans-tiger-cub-found-dead/articleshow/48288245.cms
 


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