As the personnel of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) are ill-equipped and untrained to effectively deal with conflict situations, capturing tigers have not gone on a good note on several occasions, particularly in Bandipur and Rajiv Gandhi National Parks recently. The situation has warranted members of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to embark on a mock drill to educate STPF on a scientific and professional approach to capture a tiger straying out of the park.
WTI will hold its first-ever mock drill for the SPTF personnel at the Heggadadevana Kote handpost in Mysuru on Tuesday.
In the past, messy capturing operations have claimed a tiger, which was darted with an overdose of sedatives. A source, who was part of the operation, blamed the veterinarian for darting the tiger a couple of times. Cases of tigers succumbing to injuries under medical supervision too have been reported from the two park areas.
Not only do STPF personnel lack training, they also do not have safety equipment to deal with emergency situations, says a staffer who had served in the STPF. Except for some basic training, like crowd control and use of weapons, no scientific knowledge to capture a big cat has been imparted to these staffers.
Head of the WTI Wild Rescue Team, Mr Abhsihek Narayanan, told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday that the personnel will be given basic knowledge on mob management and animal management, while WTI veterinarians – Shantanu Kalambi and Nagesh Huilgol – will focus on the dosage of sedatives and other issues.
Mr Nagraj Bhat of WTI said that the team will distribute body armour, helmets, riot control shields, lathis, light weight transport crates and nets to barricade the operational area, which will help during capture operations as only authorised persons are given entry to the operational area.
