SIT to probe death of four tiger cubs

According to activists working in the field of tiger conservation, the forest department needs to improve its intelligence on poachers and be more vigilant.

In this Saturday, April 26, 2014, file photo, a Royal Bengal tiger prowls in Sunderbans, at the Sunderban delta, about 130 kilometers (81 miles) south of Calcutta, India. India's latest tiger census shows a sharp increase in the number of endangered cats in the wild, raising hopes that conservation efforts are working. (AP Photo/Joydip Kundu, File)

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe the death of four one-month-old tiger cubs in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district. While the reason for the death is said to be severe malnourishment, the authorities are searching for the missing tigress.

“It is most unfortunate that the cubs died due to malnourishment. I have directed my officers to look for the missing mother tigress. A proposal has been sent to form an SIT to look in to this matter,” state’s Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told The Hindu .

The SIT will include officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Forest Department and local police.

On Sunday, forest officials found two dead cubs near Saoli town in Chandrapur district, while a third was lying in a serious condition. Though the cub was rushed to hospital for further treatment, it could not be saved. The fourth cub was found dead in a nearby area after a thorough search.

Mr. Munganitwar said the cubs seemed to have died after their mother went missing. “I would prefer to not comment on the poaching angle right now since the investigation is yet to be carried out. But I ensure that those found guilty will be get the strictest of the punishments permitted under law,” he said.

According to activists working in the field of tiger conservation, the forest department needs to improve its intelligence on poachers and be more vigilant. “Chandrapur has a vast forest land, where numerous gangs of poachers work. The possibility of foul play cannot be ruled out and hence it is necessary for forest officials to improve on these factors,” said Krishna Tiwari, a conservation activist from Mumbai.

He added that such incidents put a dent on state’s image which is currently doing very well in terms of protecting tigers.

Maharashtra was recently appreciated for its efforts in increasing the population of tigers from 169 in 2010 to 190 in 2014. Currently, the state has six tiger sanctuaries namely Tadoba, Melghat, Pench, Sahyadri, Nagzira and Bor.

The last one was notified by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry last year.