Four tiger cubs and her mother were found dead under suspicious circumstances in the core area of Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills) in the Chamarajaranagar district on Thursday, Hindustan Times quoted a forest official as saying.
“The five carcasses were found at 11am during a routine patrol by beat staff in Hanur taluk. It is suspected that the big cats may have consumed poisoned meat, possibly placed at the spot to target them,” HT quoted T Heera Lal, Chamarajanagar chief conservator of forests, as saying.
“Prima facie it seems a case of food poisoning. The tigress, aged between 8 to 10 years, may have killed a cow and returned later to feed on the carcass, which could have been laced with poison. The cubs were around two to three years old —one male and four females. The autopsy was conducted by veterinary doctor of forest department Dr B Waseem, and we are awaiting the report,” he said.
It is suspected that the miscreants had poisoned the cow, and after eating it, the tigress and its cubs might have died.
“Either the bovine was poisoned before being left in the forest, or the owner of the cattle, after spotting the dead cow, would have spread poison on its body, which the tigress and her cubs ate and died,” PTI quoted the officer as saying.
“Physical samples from the dead tigers have been sent for forensic and toxicological analysis. Forest officials have been deployed in the area to assess the situation and collect further evidence. The investigation is also expected to explore possible motives behind the incident, such as retaliatory action from locals or potential poaching attempts,” Lal added.
High-level investigation ordered:
The forest minister Eshwar Khandre directed the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) to lead a high-level investigation into the incident and submit a report within three day.
Backed the same theory of forest officials, who claimed someone might have poisoned the cattle and the tigress and cubs could have eaten it, Khandre told reporters, “Our government has taken the matter very seriously, and we will investigate it from all angles. We will not spare those behind it.”
After this, to look into the incident, the forest department formed a six-member special investigation team under the leadership of an additional PCCF BP Ravi.
Apart from Ravi and two other senior officials of the forest department, the team constitutes a veterinary officer, a representative from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and renowned wildlife expert Sanjay Gubbi.
“This is a serious and tragic incident. If poisoning is confirmed, we will initiate criminal proceedings against those responsible. Any negligence on the part of forest staff will also be dealt with strictly,” Khandre said.
Eshwar Khandre warned any lapses in patrolling or any signs of dereliction of duty would be taken seriously and action would follow.
“If it is confirmed that poison was used, it is not just a wildlife offence—it is a criminal act. The culprits must be brought to justice,” Khandre said.
As per the details, the MM Hills is a key ecological corridor connecting the Bilgirirangana Hills in Karnataka with the Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu. With 563 tigers, Karnataka currently has the second-largest tiger population in India.
The recent incident took place at a time when Karnataka is working to project its tiger conservation model as a national benchmark.
“This incident underscores the urgent need to improve local engagement and enforcement of wildlife protection laws”, environmentalist Joseph Hoover told HT.