Madhya Pradesh: Around 40 deaths have been so far reported in the state of Madhya Pradesh known as ‘tiger state’ is now being referred as tiger killer since maximum deaths have been reported in the state, with a recent death in Bandhavgarh National Park where two tiger cubs succumbed to the deadly parvovirus on Sunday afternoon.
Parvo virus.
The tigress was electrocuted by poachers in Shahdol on January 19 and the cubs suffered from parvo virus couldn’t survive the battle and died this Sunday.
With the third little one still battling for life.
According to Mrudul Pathak, director Bandhavgarh National Park, the Parvo virus is a deadly one and it is difficult to save tigers from it. ” We tried our best but we could not save the two cubs. The third cub too is battling for his life but we cannot say anything. We are just hoping for the best,” Pathak while talking to India Today said.
Another tiger died at the Van Vihar national park in Bhopal on Saturday. This tiger was rescued from the Rathipura forests in Betul district on April 8 though at first thought to died due to virus but later was found died because of a bullet in his spinal cord when was scanned with metal detectors even though the tiger was operated to be saved.
40 tigers are dead due to poachers in the past fourteen months. The forest department and state police have recently arrested five people for electrocuting the tigress on Januray 19 in Shahdol while five more people have been arrested for killing the tiger in Betul. Even though poachers have been arrest before the crime has not seen any change.
“The situation is grave, but in the 40 deaths that have been reported, cubs have also been included. In a tiger census cubs are not included but certainly the Betul Tiger incident was very unfortunate. And this has happened because our informer network is poor. Also the investigations that the forest department does is not up to the mark,” says Dr Sudesh Wagmare, retired assistant director of the forest department.
Not just the poachers but also trains crossing the area where tigers live have also killed two tigers near Abdullaganj about 50 Km from Bhopal. The union railway minister has talked about fencing the spots where the two tigers were killed but no action has been taken up by the the state forest department, as reported in Indiatoday.