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The Print
5 days ago
- The Print
MM Hills tiger deaths: DCF Chakrapani suspended over unpaid dues to anti-poaching watchers
The reason for suspending Chakrapani this time was his 'failure in the basic duty of ensuring timely payment of wages' to contractual employees hired as anti-poaching watchers to patrol the sanctuary. The report investigated how the tiger watchers and rangers, who were not directly employed by the forest department, had not received their salaries for March, April, and May this year. This was despite the state authority transferring the funds in April. This is the second time IFS officer Chakrapani has been suspended, the first being in 2023 when he was suspended as DCF of the Bengaluru Urban division over illegal tree felling. New Delhi: Three weeks after a tigress and her four cubs died of poisoning at the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, the state government has ordered the suspension of Y Chakrapani, deputy conservator of forests (DCF), MM Hills Wildlife Division. The killing of the five tigers was the biggest single-day mortality recorded in India since the beginning of Project Tiger. A preliminary report by a high-level committee headed by the additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) of Karnataka and comprising top forest officials was released Monday, which ascertained the cause of death as poisoning. The tigers were found near a cow carcass, which officials said could have been poisoned to kill the big cats. The exact details of the toxic compound consumed will be shared after results from the Forensic Science Laboratory arrive. The preliminary report said the committee's investigations had also found that the anti-poaching watchers had staged a protest on 23 June, three days before the tiger bodies were discovered in the Hoogyam range of the wildlife sanctuary. 'They (staffers) all have been taking loans from local sources at high interest rates for the survival of their families. But they also said they have been doing their duty sincerely and patrolling the areas assigned to them as per the instruction of their seniors,' read the preliminary report. History of the case On 26 June, five tigers were found dead inside the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in the Hoogyam range. The tigers were found less than 1 km away from an anti-poaching camp inside the sanctuary, raising alarms in the Karnataka government regarding negligence by forest officials and lack of monitoring by anti-poaching watchers. Within two days, the forest department arrested three people suspected of poisoning the tigers. The accused were from a nearby village and are suspected to have poisoned the tigers in an act of revenge after one of their cattle was killed by a big cat. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said a high-level inquiry committee will be formed to investigate the incident. "I am deeply pained by the tragic death of five tigers — a mother and her cubs — in M.M. Hills Sanctuary, Chamarajanagar. Karnataka takes immense pride in its wildlife heritage, and such a loss is heartbreaking. A high-level committee has been formed to investigate the incident.… — CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) June 28, 2025 Soon after the tigers were found, Karnataka Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre also suspended the range forest officer (RFO) and assistant conservator of forests (ACF) for dereliction of duty. Now, Y Chakrapani is the third official to be suspended in the case. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: Bandhavgarh elephant deaths: IVRI report indicates presence of fungal neurotoxin, no pesticides
Hindustan Times
12-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Leopard found dead in Karnataka's BRT reserve, suspected poisoning triggers probe
A male leopard was found dead at a stone quarry near Kothalavadi village in Karnataka's Biligiri Ranganatha (BRT) Tiger Reserve, forest officials said on Saturday. The incident has raised serious concerns over potential wildlife poisoning in the protected area. (Representational Image) According to news agency PTI, the incident has raised serious concerns over potential wildlife poisoning in the protected area. The leopard, estimated to be around five to six years old, was discovered on Thursday alongside the carcasses of a dog and a calf, prompting officials to suspect that the animal may have died after consuming poisoned bait. Also read: 'I'd speak English in Bengaluru, not Kannada': Viral post says no point learning languages of poor economies 'Preliminary evidence suggests poisoning. A post-mortem has been conducted, and we've collected samples for forensic analysis,' said a senior forest department official. The samples have been sent to a laboratory in Mysuru for examination, and authorities have registered a case and launched an investigation. Forest officials are awaiting the lab results to confirm the cause of death and identify those responsible, if foul play is established. This incident comes shortly after another wildlife tragedy in the region, the death of a tigress and her four cubs in the Hugyam range of the Male Mahadeshwara Hills (MM Hills) on June 26. That case also raised concerns about the safety of big cats in Karnataka's forest reserves. Following this, Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre suspended two officials for negligence and dereliction of duty in connection with the 'unnatural death' of five tigers. The minister has also recommended the suspension of Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Y Chakrapani in connection with the issue, they said. Following the incident, authorities arrested three individuals, including the cow's owner, who allegedly poisoned the cow's carcass, suspected of causing the tigers' deaths. Khandre's decision came after reviewing the preliminary report submitted by a high-level inquiry committee headed by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) Kumar Pushkar, which was set up to probe the incident. Also Read: 'Difficult to find a chair': DK Shivakumar's remark sparks buzz in Karnataka amid Siddaramaiah's full-term pledge
News18
01-07-2025
- News18
'This'll Hit Tiger Population': How MM Hills Tragedy Is 'Black Day' In Karnataka's Conservation History
Last Updated: 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. top videos View all 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
Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Indian Express
Tiger carcasses lay just 100 metres from road, forest staff didn't find them for two days
Forest staff at a Karnataka sanctuary failed to find a poisoned tigress and her four cubs for two days despite their carcasses lying just 100 metres from a road, said a state government order issued Monday. The order by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests also sent three Forest Department officials on compulsory leave pending an investigation into the deaths at the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. The officials are Deputy Conservator of Forests Y Chakrapani, Assistant Conservator of Forests Gajanana Heggade and Deputy Range Forest Officer Madesh. The order pointed out that not only were the carcasses found a mere 100 meters from the road, an anti-poaching camp was also located 800 metres away from the spot. 'Prima facie it is found that the dereliction of duty by the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Range Forest Officer and Deputy Range Forest Officer is responsible (for the deaths)…,' said the order, warning of action against other staff involved in patrolling the sanctuary. The tigress and her four cubs were poisoned last week by three residents of Koppa village near the sanctuary — Konappa, Madaraju and Nagaraj — following a tiger attack on cattle. The accused had sprayed pesticide on a cattle carcass, creating a deadly trap for the felines. The deaths marked India's largest single-day tiger mortality since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973, according to officials.
