Kabini shocker: 4-year-old tigress dies of electrocution

Hassan: In an incident which has shocked animal lovers, the carcass of a tigress aged around 4 years, which had strayed out of Antarasante range of Nagarahole National Park, was found  in the backwaters of Kabini reservoir at Bellathuru in HD Kote of Mysuru district on Wednesday. 

A preliminary investigation into the death revealed that the big cat might have died of electrocution in an agricultural field where farmers draw power illegally from nearby power lines to irrigate their fields and also supply power to fences to keep away wild boars and deer which raid their crops during the night. 

After conducting an inspection of the carcass, director of Nagarahole National Park Mr Ravishankar told Deccan Chronicle that the carcass was found four and a half kilometres away from the national park and the necropsy on the carcass revealed that the animal had suffered haemorrhage in its heart and lungs leading to its death. 

Ravishankar added that normally, poachers extract and take away the claws and skin of the carcass but in this case, the claws from both the front legs of the animal were extracted and deposited in a cover which was left near the carcass. "Those who tried to extract the claws from the carcass have employed crude methods to extract its parts," said Ravishankar. 

Meanwhile, a search is on to nab the culprits who tried to extract the claws. The agricultural fields in the vicinity have been scanned to gather evidence on the entry point of the animal into the fields to determine the place where it died.

A source who was present in the area, disclosed that those who tried to extract the claws from the dead animal,  also made attempts to chop its head to remove the skin. But, unable to remove the skin, they dumped the carcass half way and fled from the spot. 

A sniffer dog 'Rana' belonging to the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) has been pressed into service to track the culprits but rains in the region have made it difficult for the dog to track the culprits. Ravishankar said that a formal police complaint has been lodged regarding the death of the tigress and exuded confidence that the culprits will be nabbed soon.