A tiger in Satna was electrocuted by a live wire trap allegedly set to catch pigs and later buried in the forest. The case has raised fresh questions over accountability inside Madhya Pradesh’s forest protection system.
A tiger was killed after it came in contact with a live wire trap allegedly laid to hunt pigs by a member of the forest department’s watchman team in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district, an official said on Saturday. The carcass was then allegedly buried inside the forest by the watchman and a few others, who feared they would get into trouble.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Satna Mayank Chandiwal said the incident took place in May in the Majhgavan area, and the burial site was found on July 2. Samples from the highly decomposed body are now being examined by a forensic team, he said.
“We got information four-five days back that a tiger had been hunted somewhere and its carcass buried. We deployed informants for confirmation. The site was discovered but a search there by the dog squad and staffers was unsuccessful,” Chandiwal told PTI.
An informant later identified several names, including that of a security committee employee of the forest department, the officer said. “When questioned, the employee revealed the location where the tiger was buried. He then revealed that a electric wire fence had been installed to hunt pigs. The tiger died after getting trapped in it, and out of fear, the staff buried it near the site,” Chandiwal said.
The official said five to seven persons have been identified in connection with the case and two of them have been arrested. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said the killing and burial of the tiger in Sarbhanga forest was highly condemnable. “This makes 40 tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh, home to the largest population of the big cat. The lack of intelligence and accountability results in the low conviction rate of poachers, which clearly reflects that the entire system is compromised,” he alleged.
