‘Tiger state’ Madhya Pradesh lost yet another big cat to suspected poaching activity inside the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) after a carcass was found hanging from a tree.

According to forest officials, the carcass was found on Wednesday in a wire trap laid by poachers using a clutch cable.

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Found hanging from tree

Poachers generally use the clutch wire (used in vehicles) to trap animals, the official said, adding they suspect a trap was laid for some other animal and the tiger got trapped in it.

Forest officials on Tuesday night got information that a tiger carcass was found hanging from a tree in Tilgua beat’s compartment no. 460 in the north forest division near the Panna Tiger Reserve, following which a team of forest personnel reached the spot, he said.

It is a mystery how the heavy tiger, about two-year-old, got trapped in the wire and hung from a tree, the official said.

Probe ordered 

“We are probing the circumstances under which the tiger was killed. We have taken the samples. Veterinarians have conducted the autopsy to find out the cause of the death,” said Chattarpur range’s forest conservator Sanjeev Jha.

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A dog squad was also pressed into service, the official said. Forest officials appealed to locals to share any information they have related to the tiger’s death.

The forest department’s principal secretary reached the spot where the tiger’s carcass was found, Sharma said in a statement.

“I have directed officials to probe the matter strictly and whosoever is responsible for it should be dealt with sternly,” he said.

Increasing tiger deaths in MP

Madhya Pradesh has six tiger reserves: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay Dubri.

The Panna Tiger Reserve, spread across 542.7 km, is home to around 80 big cats.

PANNA TIGER RESERVE

While it has a healthy tiger population, the increase in poaching cases and other unnatural deaths of big cats have been a growing concern.

In July, two tigers were found dead in PTR on the same day.

The first tiger, named P-111, which was 13 years old was found dead on the roadside by some locals, while the body of a sub-adult was found in the forest of Akola buffer hours later.

Five tigers killed in eight months in 2020

In 2020, five tigers were killed in just eight months in and around Panna – including one found floating in Ken River.

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 The headless carcass was found with its genitals and claws missing.

According to officials, the tiger drowned after being injured in a territorial fight. A person who spotted the carcass sliced off the dead tiger’s private parts, believing it would revive his libido.

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