Officials knew of starving tiger cubs: Activists

CHENNAI: Even as the death of 10 tigers, including six cubs in the Nilgiri Biosphere area, within a short span of 35 days has set alarm bells ringing, activists based in The Nilgiris allege that four cubs could have been saved if the State forest department acted hastily, as they knew about the starving cubs a few days before their death.

Of the 10, four cubs in Chinna Coonoor died due to starvation, as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The cubs reportedly died on September 19.

An activist, on condition of anonymity, said that locals near Chinna Coonoor noticed the cubs – abandoned and searching for their mother – 10 days before they breathed their last.

“Soon, they alerted the forest department. Had the officials taken measures to rescue and treat them at Vandalur, they might have survived,” the activist alleged.

As per the post-mortem report, the cubs did not have any external injuries, and starvation was the cause of the deaths.

“These four cubs were perhaps left unattended by the mother during the transit for longer duration and hence, died because of prolonged starvation, dehydration and/or malnutrition, and not by infanticide or killing by other predators,” the report said.

The activist also pointed out that one of the four cubs was alive when the officials entered the forest area to rescue the cubs. But it died within a few minutes despite efforts by the veterinarians.

Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy denied the allegation that the officials knew about the plight of tiger cubs and clarified that the department received the information only two days prior to their deaths.

“As the tiger cubs were living amid the dense vegetation, the department staff could not enter the forest. But we kept a continuous watch,” he said.

Soon after one of the four cubs died, the staff entered the spot wearing armour. “We were not sure whether the mother was there or not. Mothers become more aggressive in such situations,” he clarified.

It may be noted that the department is yet to locate the mother several days after the death of the cubs. In a similar incident near Segur, two tiger cubs died and their mother is also yet to be identified.

Another activist had already debunked the NTCA report that said lack of prey was the reason for mothers to abandon the cubs as they have to travel more distance to find prey. The activist said that several gaurs and deer were spotted close to the site, where the cubs died.