Latest news with #tigers
BBC News
11 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Big cat owners hide their animals amid Pakistani crackdown
The smell hanging in the air is the first sign there's something unusual about the farmhouse on the outskirts of one of Pakistan's largest cities, inside, the cause becomes clear: the property is home to 26 lions, tigers and cubs – and belongs to rain, he says, has turned the ground into the animals are "happy here", he insists. "When they see us, they come over, they eat... they're not aggressive."Almost instantly, one of the lions roars."That one is aggressive, it's his nature," Fayyaz says. Fayyaz loves big cats. From this facility – thought to be the largest of its kind in private hands nationwide – the 38-year-old has sold cubs and breeding pairs for the last 10 years. He is widely considered to be one of the biggest lion dealers in decades these animals – lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs and jaguars – have been a sign of power, status and even political fealty in the country. The tiger, for example, is a symbol of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. More recently, with the dawn of short video social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, there's been a surge in ownership, with lions now sometimes even brought along to wedding in the wake of a pet lion escaping and attacking a woman and her two children as they walked down the street in Lahore, the government has launched a crackdown – one which is already impacting people like Fayyaz. Among the new rules, owners must pay a one-time registration fee of 50,000 Pakistani rupees ($176; £129) per animal and farms are to keep a maximum of 10 big cats from no more than two species. The sites must also be open to the public for new laws could result in a fine of up to 200,000 Pakistani rupees and, for the worst offenders, up to seven years in another property on the outskirts of Lahore, five lion cubs – their coats muddied – pace around a cage."But where are the parents?" a wildlife official asks there are several empty cages. Wildlife officials are here after receiving a tip-off that a man was holding lions and cubs without a licence, and was breeding them for sale illegally. By the time they arrived, the owner was missing, leaving his caretaker holding the bag."I was only hired two weeks ago," he complains, as he was placed in the back of a truck and taken away for questioning. The officials suspect the owner may have taken the cubs' parents away and hidden rescued cubs have now been transferred to a public zoo in Lahore, and isolated for medical in a country where big cats have been sold for decades, officials worry the raids are barely scratching the surface. They believe there are in fact hundreds, if not thousands, of undeclared big cats in the state of Punjab alone."This is going to take at least six months," Mubeen Ellahi, the director general of Wildlife & Parks, tells the BBC. He expects 30-40% of the lions in Punjab will not be voluntarily is also another complication. Mubeen explains inbreeding has become a common practice in Pakistan, and some big cats may have to be euthanised. "They have a lot of health problems. We are still considering the policy," he added. He pointed to another incident in December last year, when another lion escaped in Lahore, and was then shot and at Fayyaz's property, he is considering what to do official told the BBC they're dissatisfied with the size of the cages, and that the farm needs to convert itself into a zoo. Fayyaz now has three months to animal rights groups believe more needs to be done for these animals."We've been calling for sanctuaries, not zoos," Altamush Saeed told the BBC. He wants more transparency of the conditions inside the zoos, and for the government to properly address the problem of privately owning big cats."We need a systematic solution, not stopgaps."Additional reporting by Usman Zahid and Malik Mudassir
The Independent
15-07-2025
- The Independent
Adventurer to make 25 marathon-length walks from Tigerton in Scotland to Tiger Bay in Wales
Tigerton is a tiny hamlet in Angus, eastern Scotland. Tiger Bay, between central Cardiff and the water, is a lively and diverse community in the Welsh capital. Thanks to the shared first five letters of their names, they are to be connected in a sequence of 25 marathon-length walks by guide and photographer, Paul Goldstein. The veteran adventurer is well known in the travel industry for his efforts to publicise the threats to tigers and other endangered species. He has raised nearly £500,000 for animal charities, much of it by running marathons clad in a tiger suit. By 2022, Paul had completed his 25th marathon in the outfit – on Everest. He is now taking on a fresh challenge to help give animals a chance: 25 consecutive walking marathons. Starting in Tigerton in Scotland on 10 August, the aim is to walk at least 26 miles (42km) each day, ending in Tiger Bay, Cardiff on 5 September. The aim is that people who live in the vicinity – or further afield – can sign up to participate free of charge. Paul is walking to support the purchase of a rescue vehicle in Bandhavgarh National Park, India, used to relocate or treat injured animals – particularly tigers, elephants and bison. He says: 'I want people to do this for any four-legged animal they feel strongly about, and ideally raise money for them – be it horses, rhino, hedgehogs, snow leopards, bears, red pandas or red squirrels or indeed tigers. Or if you just want to support the cause by walking or helping, you'd be very welcome.' For Paul, his tiger outfit and anyone who cares to join him for the entire exercise, the total distance covered will be around 700 miles (about 1,100km). Each stretch is designed to be a worthwhile walk on its own, such as day five on 14 August: crossing the Forth Road Bridge, walking through the heart of Edinburgh and ending in Newtongrange, southwest of the capital. The longest day is 43.43km from Northwich in Cheshire to Whitchurch in Shropshire, on 27 August. It involves 276m of elevation and is predicted to take between seven and nine hours. The final day, 5 September, is almost as long with over 400m of elevation, as walkers enjoy the pretty way from Newport to Tiger Bay in Cardiff. Paul warns: 'This is a big physical challenge. Completing a marathon at any pace needs good cardiovascular and muscular fitness. If you're not sure, start training now.'
The Independent
30-06-2025
- The Independent
Three villagers arrested after mass poisoning of family of tigers in India
Indian forest authorities have arrested three people over the poisoning of five tigers in southern India 's Karnataka, an incident that makes up the highest death toll for big cats in one day in the state. Five tigers were found dead inside a wildlife sanctuary in southern India's Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. With the bodies of the tigers – a mother and her four cubs – all found close to each other in the wildlife sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district on Thursday. Wildlife officials say they also discovered a dead cow nearby, and that a subsequent investigation has revealed that villagers in the nearby Koppa village laced the cow's carcass with a locally available fertiliser in order to poison the tiger and her cubs. Three villagers, identified by officials as Konappa, Madaraja and Nagaraj, from Koppa village have been arrested over their alleged direct involvement in poisoning the tigers. The case is an example of a 'retaliatory killing' by villagers who killed the tigers for hunting their cattle, said Kumar Pushkar, the additional principal chief conservator of forests (administration and coordination), according to The Hindu. Forest authorities have arrested the three men under the sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Indian Forest Act 1969, and the three accused have been produced before a magistrate. Joseph Hoover, a former member of the State Board for Wildlife and an activist in Karnataka, said the methodology in this case appeared to be a textbook example of a targeted wildlife poisoning. Tigers are most often the targets, he told The Independent, although other large animals such as leopards and elephants have been known to be killed in this way too. Villagers in such cases typically deploy a poisoned cow or goat carcass to target tigers for preying on their livestock, or even posing a threat to the farmers and villagers themselves. 'These five tigers were poisoned and killed barely 871 metres away from the anti-poaching camp and main road. It manifests the degree of negligence from the forest officials,' he said. The Independent has reached out to the MM Hills deputy conservator of forests, Chakrapani Y, for comment on the incident. During the investigation, the cattle owner was found to be in the possession of the same pesticide – typically used in marigold cultivation – that was used to kill the tigers, reported Indian daily The Hindu. Officials have sent samples collected by the forest veterinarians to forensic laboratories in Bengaluru and Mysuru for an independent verification of the kind of poison used, the report added. Another set of samples has been sent to a zoo in Mysuru for further analysis. 'Killing tigers by poisoning the carcass of their kill is increasingly the biggest reason behind the unnatural deaths of tigers in Karnataka. It is followed by setting up snares, used to capture deer and wild boar but in the bargain, even leopards and tigers are captured and killed,' Mr Joseph told The Independent. Pesticides used in farming are available cheaply, he said, and typically results in the immediate death of the tigers that consume it. There are also cases of villagers killing tigers by shooting them, he added, as was seen in Shivamogga in Karnataka in February this year where a postmortem of a dead tiger revealed a pellet lodged in its neck. Such incidents appear to show cases of human-animal conflict are on the rise in the state, Mr Hoover warned. 'It is extremely alarming and the conflict has escalated to an extent where forest authorities are unable to manage the situation,' he said. India has lost a total of 103 tigers this year, according to India's National Tiger Conservation Authority, though the net population of the big cats is steadily rising.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- The Independent
Mother tiger and cubs found dead in suspected mass poisoning
Five tigers, a mother and her four cubs, were discovered dead in the MM Hills wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka, southern India. Officials suspect the tigers died from poisoning, noting a dead cow nearby, as villagers sometimes poison carcasses to deter tigers preying on livestock. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday and was discovered on Thursday, is believed to be the highest single-day tiger casualty toll in one sanctuary in India. Eshwar B Khandre, the state minister for forest ecology and environment, has deemed the deaths "unnatural" and initiated an investigation, vowing criminal cases for any negligence or foul play. The deaths are particularly distressing for Karnataka, a state recognized for its successful conservation efforts and home to India's second-largest tiger population.
The Independent
27-06-2025
- The Independent
Five tigers found dead in suspected mass poisoning at Indian wildlife sanctuary
At least five tigers have been found dead inside a wildlife sanctuary in southern India's Karnataka in what is suspected to be a case of poisoning, officials said. The bodies of the tigers – a mother and her four cubs – were found close to each other in the MM Hills wildlife sanctuary in Chamarajanagar district on Thursday. Wildlife officials also found a dead cow in the area, and said they suspect the carcass may have been poisoned by local villagers. Villagers living on the boundaries of Indian wildlife sanctuaries have been known to poison cow or goat carcasses in order to target tigers, which sometimes prey on their livestock or pose a threat to the farmers themselves. Other farmers deploy electric fences around fields and houses, which has also been known to lead to fatalities among tigers. Both methods have been widely condemned by Indian conservationists. An autopsy into the latest incident was due to be held on Friday to confirm the cause of the tigers' deaths. The incident came to light on Thursday and the tigers most likely died on Wednesday, officials said. It is believed to represent the highest single-day toll for tiger casualties in one sanctuary anywhere in India. India has lost a total of 103 tigers this year, according to India's National Tiger Conservation Authority, though the net population of the big cats is steadily rising. A preliminary video of the incident showed a lush green part of the sanctuary cordoned off as five seemingly uninjured tigers laid lifeless and officials inspected the area. Officials said the tigress was believed to be around 11 years old and was first seen by the forest officials in November 2014 when it was a six to eight month old cub. The state minister for forest ecology and environment, Eshwar B Khandre, has said the deaths appear to be 'unnatural' and sought an investigation into the incident. 'If negligence by forest staff is found or if the death were caused by electrocution, poisoning or any other reason, criminal cases would be filed,' Mr Khandre said, vowing that the guilty will not be spared. He also called the deaths of five tigers within 24 hours in the Indian state otherwise known for its successful conservation efforts 'deeply distressing'. Known as one of the best states for wildlife in the country, Karnataka is ranked the second-most populated Indian state for the big cats with 563 tigers. It is also home to leopards, elephants, and large numbers of prey species.
