'This'll Hit Tiger Population': How MM Hills Tragedy Is 'Black Day' In Karnataka's Conservation History

News18

01-07-2025

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The death of four eight-month-old cubs and their mother is the highest single-day tiger mortality recorded in Karnataka since the launch of Project Tiger in India
The MM Hills tragedy, in which five tigers – four eight-month-old cubs and their mother – were found dead, marks a black day in Karnataka's wildlife conservation history.
It is the highest single-day tiger mortality recorded in the state since the launch of Project Tiger in India. What's worse, officials confirmed it was a result of revenge poisoning and a massive administrative failure.
Heads have rolled, with three senior officers – including deputy conservator of forests Y Chakrapani, assistant conservator of forests Gajanana Hegde, and deputy zonal forest officer Madhesh – being sent on compulsory leave pending investigation.
'MOTHER, CUBS SIGN OF SUCCESSFUL CONSERVATION'
Retired principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Braj Kishore Singh, who once served as DCF in the Kollegal division, described the collapse as both a conservation failure and an intelligence breakdown.
'This will have an impact on the tiger population, no doubt," he said. 'In any conflict, it's always the tiger that pays the price. This mother and her cubs were a sign of successful conservation. The administration failed to safeguard them."
Singh explained that camera traps had picked up the same tigress as far back as 2022. 'She was spotted then with her earlier litter of four cubs. She would've been around eight years old. Now she was 11 and had given birth again. The new cubs were said to be about eight months old."
A tigress's lifespan in the wild rarely exceeds 10 to 11 years. 'She was at the end of her life. An older tigress loses speed, strength, even the sharpness of her canines. She gets pushed out by younger tigers and is forced to hunt easy prey – livestock, dogs. She likely moved to the edge of the forest to avoid conflict. The forest staff should've picked up her movement and warned villagers. But that basic intelligence was missing."
Three of the four cubs were females and so the opportunity for them to breed and help build the tiger populations was also snuffed out by this act of revenge.
A strongly worded letter from forest minister Eshwar Khanduri, who called the incident as 'utter negligence".
'The fact that five tigers were found dead just 100 metres from the road but went unnoticed by the forest department staff for two days is regarded as a very serious lapse in forest and wildlife conservation," it said.
'Despite an anti-poaching camp being located just 800 metres from the site, no protective action was taken. Additionally, reports that frontline outsourced staff have not been paid their salaries and allowances for the past three months have severely affected patrolling efforts," the note said.
The ministry found prima facie negligence by the DCF, ACF, Zonal and Sub-Zonal Forest Officers, and patrol staff. 'Hence, the government has deemed it essential to take strict action," the note stated.
Separate action is also being initiated by the chief conservator of forests, Chamarajanagar Circle, against lower-level staff and a detailed investigation has been ordered.
Action is also being taken against the sub-zonal forest officer-cum-surveyor and the patrol personnel of the concerned branch by the Chief Conservator of Forests, Chamarajanagar Circle.
Three persons – Konappa, Madaraja, and Nagaraj of Koppa village – who admitted to poisoning the tigers have been sent to judicial custody until July 3 as the forest department continues its investigations into the matter.
FAMILIAR PROBLEM: CATTLE CAMPS RAMP
Local residents in Meenyam and Hoogyam, remote settlements near the Tamil Nadu border, are no strangers to this cycle.
Singh said, 'These are cattle-heavy areas, connected by walkable mud roads. Earlier, cattle camps had been a serious problem, but they had reduced over the years. Now, they're back – and they're undoing all the gains."
This region has a half-century history of tiger population decline directly linked to these camps. 'They were deep in the forest, well supplied with fodder and water, and had a devastating ecological impact. Once they dwindled, tiger numbers started to recover. This tigress was part of that revival. But now it looks like we're back to square one."
'THESE ANIMALS WERE THE FUTURE'
'This wasn't electrocution, which we see more often. This was poisoning. A targeted killing. Of five tigers at once. That is a complete breakdown of field-level monitoring," said an official from the forest department.
On June 26, forest minister Eshwar B Khandre announced a state-level committee comprising additional principal chief conservator of forests Kumar Pushkar, NTCA representative Srinivasalu, and conservationist Sanjay Gubbi.
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Amid outrage, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) also formed a two-member special investigation team (SIT) comprising Harini V (AIG, NTCA Bengaluru) and Thenmozhi V (AIG, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, South Region) with a deadline of two weeks to submit a report to NTCA, Delhi.
Yet, forest veterans and senior conservationists insist that this time, only a judicial probe will ensure accountability. 'These animals were the future of MM Hills' fragile tiger landscape," said Singh. 'It took us years to see a tigress breed here again. Now we've lost her — and her entire litter."
tags :
poaching tigers wildlife conservation
Location :
Bengaluru, India, India
First Published:
July 01, 2025, 07:30 IST
News india 'This'll Hit Tiger Population': How MM Hills Tragedy Is 'Black Day' In Karnataka's Conservation History