Nagpur/Gadchiroli: Even 48 hours later, the accused involved in electrocuting a tiger and chopping off three paws and skull in Chatgaon forest range of Gadchiroli division are still at large. This is the 41st tiger death in Maharashtra since January 1, 2023, perhaps the highest in the country. The deaths also include four cases of poaching revealed by organized gangs of Bawaria poachers.
In one of the most brutal cases of poaching in the recent past, the four-year-old tiger was electrocuted by live wire traps purposely laid using an 11KV overhead power line passing through the reserve forest compartment number 417 in Amirza beat.
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According to Gadchiroli Deputy Conservator of Forests (DyCF) Milish Dutt Sharma, it seems the trap was laid for herbivores but a tiger got electrocuted. The poachers later removed the skull and three paws of the animal before fleeing. The tiger used to move between the neighbouring Wadsa division and Chatgaon.
The carcass was noticed early on Tuesday morning in Amirza beat. Though no arrests have been made, officials interrogated three suspects and will soon nab the culprits. The poachers must have removed the paws for the claws, and skull for the whiskers and canines, said investigating official Sanket Wathore.
The incident evoked sharp reactions from wildlife conservationists, who said the forest department has failed to learn lessons from the past.
Earlier this year, over 20 Bawaria tiger poachers from Haryana and Punjab were arrested for killing several tigers in Gadchiroli and removing their body parts and skin. However, investigations showed only four tigers were killed — two each in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.
In 2022, Maharashtra recorded 32 tiger deaths. Out of these six were due to electrocution. In 2023, 41 tigers died, eight due to electrocution. Several tiger deaths that are shrouded in mystery are shown as natural deaths.
Almost 20% of the tiger deaths in Maharashtra are attributed to electrocution. So, electrocution in whatever form is the biggest challenge and not a new one, said a senior wildlife crime expert. “Local poachers setting up live wire traps for herbivores must be tracked down and their activities stopped at all cost. The paws may have been chopped off out of superstition for black magic purposes. Apart from law enforcement, there is a need for a wider awareness drive for the public to report local poaching and stop this madness of possessing tiger paws for magic,” he added.
