OOTY: A farmer hailing from a village here, was on Tuesday sentenced to three years imprisonment for poisoning a tiger to death in 2014.
Forest sources that an adult female tiger was found dead near the carcass of a buffalo inside the jungles at Thengumarahada village in the foothills of the Nilgiris on 20 June, 2014.
Strange as it may sound, forest officials also suspected foul play in the tiger’s death.
Investigations revealed that the tiger was said to be visiting human settlements along the forest fringes, and tried to prey on cattle reared by villagers there.
Subsequently, it came to light that one K. Thimmaiyan (60), a farmer Chithrampatti hamlet in Thengumarahada village, whose buffalo was killed by the big cat when it went inside the jungles for grazing, poured poison on the buffalo’s carcass expecting the predator which had killed it, to return and finish the leftovers. The plan worked out well as the tiger ate the leftovers and died. Laboratory analysis of visceral samples collected from the tiger carcass confirmed that the animal was poisoned. Thimmaiyan was arrested, and a case filed at the Judicial Magistrate court in Kotagiri, forest sources added.The judgment sentencing Thimmaiyan to three years imprisonment, was pronounced on Tuesday.
