BENGALURU: With the shooting down of an adult male tiger in the Maddur Range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve whose carcass was detected on August 14, the Nagarahole-Bandipur region in Karnataka has already lost 10 tigers within a span of seven-and-a-half months. Four of them died died in this month alone.
Housing a rich prey base, both Nagarahole andBandipur Tiger Reserves have been globally known for their conservation success stories and are presently home to more than 170 tigers.
Seven tigers including two cubs have died in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve due to various reasons while Bandipur has lost three adult tigers in 2016. Tigernet, the official database of National Tiger Conservation Authority, states that three died due to infighting and two others lost their lives due to natural causes. However, details are still awaited in case of four tiger deaths.
The last two years
Last year, Karnataka lost 15 tigers. The reasons for their death are still awaited in seven cases while in six cases, reasons have not been cited. Only one is said to have died of natural causes and another was eliminated by authorities due to a man-animal conflict situation.
In 2015, Nagarahole lost five tigers and Bandipur six. While in 2014, if the state lost seven tigers, Bandipur-Nagarahole accounted for five deaths.
Data from the last five years indicate 55-65 per cent of tiger deaths occurring in the Nagarahole-Bandipur region. The ranges of Maddur, Bandipur, H D Kote, Kundakere, Omkar and Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary in Bandipur region and D B Kuppe and Kallahalla ranges in Nagarahole have reported the deaths for varying causes like fights, injuries, starvation and poaching.
Deaths in August
These two regions have witnessed the maximum deaths—an adult tiger at Virajpet on August 3 while two tiger cubs out of three siblings that were found dead (abandoned by their mother) in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. Since their mother went missing, one of them was found dead on August 10 near Parbille Gate in D B Kuppe range while the other was found dead on August 1. Forest authorities are still searching for the third cub and are yet to come to any conclusion on the reasons for the death of the two cubs.
Forest Department, Police Intensify Probe
The probe into the death of 11-year-old male tiger that was shot in Bandipur National Forest has been intensified. Forest officials and police are said to be gathering information on deer hunters in the surrounding villages as their hand is suspected to be in the incident. Last week, authorities found a small tent about 30-35 metres from GopalanaHalla where the tiger was found dead. It has led to suspicion that the deer hunters are active in the region and they might have fired at the tiger mistaking it to be a deer.
