Death of cubs: Activist demand location of mother tigers
He added that the location of both the mothers remains a mystery and said that mothers will not remain away from cubs for a long period.
Representative image
CHENNAI: As the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) report cited the starvation and abandonment as a reason for death of four tiger cubs in Chinna Coonoor area, wildlife activists raised suspicion as the forest department is yet to locate the mother that reportedly abandoned her cubs. Another 2 cubs died near the Segur area.
Vijay Krishnaraj, a Nilgris-based wildlife activist, alarmed foul play in the death of the cubs as the location of the mothers is still unknown. "The authorities should disclose the location of the mothers. The report said that the mothers would travel long distances to kill if prey density is low. But when we visited the spot (Chinna Coonoor) during the post mortem of the cubs, there were herds of Indian Gaurs and Sambar Deers within 300 metres from the spot where cubs' bodies were found, " he said.
He added that the location of both the mothers remains a mystery and said that mothers will not remain away from cubs for a long period.
However, the NTCA report said that low prey density can result in a longer search time and distance travelled for prey for the mother, leading to unattended cubs for prolonged periods.
Also, if the mother is inexperienced, with a sizable litter of four cubs, prolonged prey hunt, anthropogenic and other unknown causes can make the mother desert the cubs, the report added.
"However, in both cases, it is not yet clear who is the mother of these cubs. This requires further investigation based on intensive camera trapping and possibly DNA sampling from the entire region which is a long-term measure, " the report noted.
On the other hand, the state forest department has captured 15 tiger images from camera traps in Chinna Coonoor out of which 4 were female tigers. Teams have collected 6 scat samples and sent them for DNA analysis.
In a social media post, Vijay Krishnaraj asked "does it take 40 days to find a territorial animal like a tiger in a scrub jungle. Its obvious that any territory without a dominant tiger will be replaced by another with the current density. Two tigers of MTR buffer is a mystery."