Tigress, four cubs found dead in Karnataka's MM Hills
Residents of most villages falling in MM Hills take their livestock to the forest range for grazing. There have been many incidents of cattle being killed by tigers and leopards. Officials suspect that a cattle owner, upset over the killing of his livestock, had laced the meat with fluoride. The forest and police departments have started tracking, summoning, and investigating shepherds grazing cattle in Hoogyam, Meenyam and nearby fields, as well as those owning cattle sheds in open spaces. The police are also compiling a list of cattle grazers and cattle owners living on the forest fringes.
The forest minister has directed the PCCF to investigate and submit a report within three days, promising serious action against those responsible. 'The area has been immediately cordoned off and declared a protected zone. Standard Scene of Crime (SoC) protocols have been invoked, with a 500-metre sweep radius activated to preserve and collect all physical evidence. A five-member expert team has undertaken a comprehensive necropsy following NTCA protocols,' Khandre said.
Following the incident, the forest department has strengthened monitoring and anti-poaching vigilance using drones, and all anti-poaching camps have been put on high alert. A search for snares, poison baits, and traps is on. Officials have announced zero tolerance against wildlife crimes, and a 24x7 confidential helpline has been activated at the divisional office to receive tips on wildlife crimes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
28 minutes ago
- United News of India
Siddaramaiah orders probe into tiger deaths, 2 detained
Bengaluru, June 27 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the death of a tigress and her four cubs in Chamarajanagar district's Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. Two individuals have been taken into custody for questioning in connection with the incident. Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said necessary orders had already been issued and promised strict action based on the outcome of the inquiry. "The investigation is underway. Once the report is submitted, we will take appropriate action," the Chief Minister assured. The deaths, believed to be a case of poisoning, came to light yesterday after forest officials found the carcasses in the Meenyam forest area under the Hoogyam range of the sanctuary. Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre termed the deaths "deeply saddening," and said the government was taking the matter seriously. "A team led by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) has been constituted and directed to submit a report within three days," he informed. Preliminary findings suggest the tigress had killed a cow left to graze in the forest and dragged it into the woods. She and her cubs reportedly fed on the carcass over the next few days, which officials suspect was laced with poison by local villagers. "The post-mortem has been completed, and viscera samples have been sent to the laboratory for confirmation," Khandre said. The minister further stated that the tiger conservation effort is a joint responsibility of both the Centre and the state. "The Central government must release funds for the Tiger Project as per expectations. This is not a political issue — we must work in coordination to protect our wildlife," he said, adding that he had discussed the issue in detail with CM Siddaramaiah. A joint forest-police team has launched a search for the owner of the cow believed to have triggered the chain of events. "We are treating this incident with utmost seriousness. There will be complete transparency in the investigation," Khandre said. Initial reports mentioned the deaths of the tigress and three cubs, but authorities later confirmed that all four cubs had perished along with their mother, all victims of suspected poisoning. UNI BDN SSP
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Death of five tigers: Discovery of cow carcass strengthens poisoning doubt
Bengaluru, The discovery of a seemingly stale carcass of a cow in Hugyam forest range in Mahadeshwara Hills on Friday strengthens the doubt that the death of a tigress and her four cubs could be due to poisoning, officials said. Death of five tigers: Discovery of cow carcass strengthens poisoning doubt These five tigers were found dead in this forest on Thursday. 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," the officer said. Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre too backed the same theory. He said someone might have poisoned the cattle, which led to the death of the big cats. "Our government has taken the matter very seriously, and we will investigate it from all angles. We will not spare those behind it," Khandre told reporters. While the autopsy on the mother tigress was done on Thursday itself, the postmortem on the four cubs was underway on Friday, the forest officials said. The tigress and the cubs were found dead during routine morning patrol by vigilant frontline staff, officials said. A five-member team of experts on Thursday undertook a comprehensive necropsy following NTCA protocols. The tissue, blood, and stomach samples were being processed for toxicology, histopathology, and DNA profiling, forest officials said. Following the incident, the forest department has strengthened monitoring and anti-poaching vigilance across the Hugyam range. According to Kandre, real-time drone surveillance, infrared cameras, and GPS-based M-STRIPES patrols have been escalated across the range, and all Anti-Poaching Camps are on high alert. Intensive sweeps for snares, poison baits, and traps are being conducted, and a confidential informer network with reward mechanisms is operational for actionable intelligence, Khandre had said on Thursday. Karnataka had the second highest number of tigers in the country, with 563 of these big cats, after Madhya Pradesh, which has 785, as per the Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India 2022 report. The report was released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority . This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
New Indian Express
11 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Tigress, four cubs found dead in Karnataka's MM Hills
Residents of most villages falling in MM Hills take their livestock to the forest range for grazing. There have been many incidents of cattle being killed by tigers and leopards. Officials suspect that a cattle owner, upset over the killing of his livestock, had laced the meat with fluoride. The forest and police departments have started tracking, summoning, and investigating shepherds grazing cattle in Hoogyam, Meenyam and nearby fields, as well as those owning cattle sheds in open spaces. The police are also compiling a list of cattle grazers and cattle owners living on the forest fringes. The forest minister has directed the PCCF to investigate and submit a report within three days, promising serious action against those responsible. 'The area has been immediately cordoned off and declared a protected zone. Standard Scene of Crime (SoC) protocols have been invoked, with a 500-metre sweep radius activated to preserve and collect all physical evidence. A five-member expert team has undertaken a comprehensive necropsy following NTCA protocols,' Khandre said. Following the incident, the forest department has strengthened monitoring and anti-poaching vigilance using drones, and all anti-poaching camps have been put on high alert. A search for snares, poison baits, and traps is on. Officials have announced zero tolerance against wildlife crimes, and a 24x7 confidential helpline has been activated at the divisional office to receive tips on wildlife crimes.
