Nagarhole tiger death: Forester had a leopard in his house, claim villagers

Bengaluru: Six days after a tiger died under mysterious circumstances inside the Nagarahole reserve, several theories are doing the rounds at Balle, the village attached to the forest.

The version by the Forest Department officials is that the tiger allegedly ventured into the village to attack a leopard, but suffered injuries and died on the night of August 22. But villagers now say that the leopard cub, involved in the incident, was being reared by a forest official and had kept it in his house.

The villagers said that they had seen the leopard cub in the officer’s house, but they are not sure whether the leopard was at his house on the night of tiger’s death.

It’s also not confirmed whether the tiger tried to get into the room where the leopard was kept. Wildlife conservationists, who are closely monitoring the case, are now demanding that an independent police team should investigate the issue. They maintain that the foresters’ version of tiger’s death has no logic.

“Top forest officials should investigate the incident. Why did the forest officer keep the cub in the house after it was caught? The villagers claim to have seen the cub near the officer’s house, though the foresters have denied it. There are different versions to the incident, and it makes one believe that there is more to it than meets the eye,” said a conservationist.

On Thursday, Mr Ravi Ralph, Chief Wildlife Warden, visited Nagarahole along with other forest officials. Mr Ralph said that there was no foul play and the tiger’s death was due to a brain hemorrhage.

“I have spoken to most of the field level officers in Nagarhole and veterinary experts, and they have confirmed that the tiger died after a brain hemorrhage. The need for an independent inquiry is not required as the protocols directed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority have been followed by the team which conducted the postmortem,” he said.

He also said that the forest department does not have the authority to appoint representatives of NTCA to conduct the investigation as it has to be done by NTCA officials themselves. The forest department has stated that the tiger injured itself and died as it could not climb the foresters’ quarters, which had been scaled by the leopard. While a section of the media in Mysuru reported that the frustrated tiger banged its head to the wall and died, the other story is that the tiger injured itself after hitting a rock inside the forest.

Lensmen mourn ‘Black Male of Maastigudi’

Wildlife photographers are mourning the death of a tiger inside Nagarahole. The dead tiger had been fondly named ‘Black Male of Maastigudi’. They said the tiger, which died under mysterious circumstances, was a “bold” big cat which was often sighted in and around Kabini tourism zone.

Mr Vanchy, a wildlife photographer from Kerala, said the tiger had walked past safari vehicles without any hesitation. “He was bold and a fine protector of his territory. It’s shocking for photographers who frequented Kabini safari area,” said Nanda Kumar, wildlife photographer.