Booty war brings to light Panna poaching

Booty war brings to light Panna poaching
Milind Ghatwai Posted online: Wed Dec 22 2010, 01:27 hrs

Bhopal : A tiger was shot dead near Panna tiger reserve in March this year exposing the forest department’s claim that vigil had been stepped up to protect the big cats shifted there to repopulate the reserve.Three poachers recently taken into custody from Barho village have confessed to killing a tiger around the Holi festival, skinning it and burning the remains to destroy evidence.The killing came to light after the poachers had a fight over sharing the booty and the word spread in the village, and eventually to the forest department.The tiger was hunted in the Devendra Nagar Range of Panna North forest division. Park director R S Murthy told The Indian Express that main accused who shot the tiger with an illegal weapon was still at large.While the skin had been sold, some bones were recovered from the house of Mijaji Gond. His brother Ishwardin and one Munnilal Tiwari were also arrested and remains of an antler were recovered from the last two.The poachers were taken to the scene of crime from where forest officials recovered partially burnt remains of the tiger on Monday. Later they were sent to judicial custody by a local court.Forest department said they had received a tip-off more than a month ago and the accused were kept under a watch.

The forest officials claimed the park had five big cats in mid-2008 and the hunted tiger could have strayed to the north division. They base their assumption on the fact that no radio collar was recovered from the poachers. Around early 2009, the park was left with no tiger prompting the National Tiger Conservation Authority to begin an experiment to repopulate the reserve by shifting tigers from other parks in the state.

Link - http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/727840/