Nagpur: Even as no breakthrough has been achieved in tracing Pathri tigress in Chandrapur district nearly after a month, the CBI has agreed to probe the mystery behind death of four cubs after the tigress went missing.
After being mauled by ally Shiv Sena on the issue, the BJP government in the state had requested CBI to probe the mystery. Accordingly, joint director, CBI, Mumbai Zone, recently gave consent to probe the missing tigress case and the subsequent death of its four cubs.
On December 27, four cubs died of starvation and exhaustion as the mother tiger went missing in FDCM's Pathri range in Saoli. The tragedy sent ripples across the country and forest minister SudhirMungantiwar had ordered special investigation team (SIT).
The local probe team under Chandrapur chief conservator of forests (CCF) was groping in the dark and failed to make any headway in the investigations.
According to wildlife experts, there are few areas with FDCM like Pathri in Brahmapuri where tigresses breed. FDCM officers being completely unaware about the presence of tigress with fresh litter is simply shocking.
The incident was brought to light by villagers when they found dead bodies of tiger cubs scattered near the under-construction Gosikhurd irrigation canal.
When the incident came to light, senior FDCM officials were allegedly busy with a marriage function of head of forest force's daughter in Pune. Even after a month, no responsibility has been fixed against FDCM staff.
State's principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Shree Bhagwan confirmed that he received letter from CBI giving approval to probe the matter. CBI is already investigation tiger poaching cases here.
On the missing tigress, Bhagwan said it is still early to conclude that the tigress is not alive. "There are many possibilities to the issue. We will have to wait for the DNA report sent to Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad."
