A wild tiger captured from a human habitat here was on Friday carted to Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) much to the surprise of activists who alleged that the reserve had turned deadly for big cats due to presence of canine distemper virus (CDV).
The big cat, possibly 3 to 4 years old, was captured from the campus of Central Institute of Agriculture Engineering on Thursday. It was released in an enclosure of Panna Tiger Reserve at around 7.30 am, forest officials said.
The tiger was first brought to Van Vihar National Park cum Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre here on Thursday.
A city-based wildlife activist has, however, said that forest officials have taken the step of shifting the animal to PTR in a hurry and alleged that canine distemper virus (CDV) has invaded the reserve which posses a threat to tigers.
“MP forest officials in a hurry have shifted the captured tiger to PTR. A tigress at PTR has died of CDV on September 14,” Ajay Dube, founder secretary of NGO ‘Prayatna’ working for tiger conservation, said.
Mr Dube furnished a document of National Referral Centre on Wildlife Health Care (NRCWHC), acquired under Right to Information (RTI) which stated that a feline in PTR was carrying CDV.
He said releasing the captured tiger at the PTR was a “blunder”.
The document stated that NRCWHC on August 28 had informed PTR Deputy Director that sample of a tigress (that died on September 14) was found CDV positive.
Following this, the PTR director had informed State Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) about the presence of CDV in the park on September 8, the documents acquired by Mr Dube, stated.
“If the captured tiger contracts CDV, I am going to drag the forest officials concerned to the court,” he said.
Meanwhile, PTR deputy director Anupam Sahay said that though a tigress had died of CDV in the reserve but it now stands free of the virus.
“Yes, a tigress had died of CDV in PTR on September 14. But there is no need to panic as the reserve now stands free of CDV,” Mr Sahay said.
