Telangana: Poaching of tigers goes on unabated in erstwhile Adilabad

A decomposed carcass, possibly a tiger, was found in Yellur village, Kumram Bheem Asifabad. If confirmed, it’s the third tiger death in 17 months, highlighting ongoing poaching issues despite conservation efforts

Adilabad: Poaching of tigers is apparently going on unabated even as Forest officials take steps to eradicate the menace.

In the latest instance, the decomposed carcass of a wild animal was found on the outskirts of Yellur village in Penchikalpet mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district on Friday. Officials said the carcass could be of a tiger but were yet to confirm it, though some locals have said they saw the carcass of a tiger. If it is confirmed to be a tiger, this would be the third tiger to have died in the district in a gap of 17 months.

Kawal Tiger Reserve field director Shantaram said there were possibilities of the carcass being of a tiger. Addressing the media here on Saturday along with District Forest Officer Neeraj Kumar Tebriwal, Shantaram said that based on preliminary investigations and as per the veterinary doctor who performed post-mortem on the carcass of the wild animal, it could be a tiger. The nails and skin were removed. Samples of bones, muscles and other parts were sent to CCMB LaCONES for analysis.

A six-member committee was formed to probe into the electrocution of the tiger, he said.

Replying to a query, he said it was yet to be ascertained whether the deceased tiger was K8, which was residing in the region for nearly five years. Officials had received information from residents of Agarguda about the killing of a wild animal on Thursday night and the decomposed carcass was found on Friday afternoon, he said.

The officials expressed displeasure over negligence of NPDCL authorities in preventing stealing of power from electricity lines passing through the forests by poachers to hunt wild animals. Several letters were submitted times to prevent the illegal tapping of power, but the problem was not addressed, they said, adding that CCTV cameras were installed to track the movement of tigers.

The latest instance comes after carcasses of two tigers were recovered in the forests of Darigaon village in Kagaznagar mandal on January 6 and 8 in 2024. Initially, officials suspected that the cause of death of the first tiger could be a territorial fight.

However, it was later discovered that the second tiger was poisoned and the culprits were subsequently arrested. Similarly, over five tigers were poached in neighbouring Mancherial, Nirmal and Adilabad districts in the last few years. The consecutive deaths of the tigers have exposed lapses in the tiger conservation efforts, with officials drawing flak for failing to protect the tigers even after spending huge amounts for conservation of tigers in Kawal tiger reserve (KTR) every year.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, regarded as a breeding zone of tigers, witnessed the birth of 35 cubs to various tigers from 2016 to 2024. Around 10 big cats have gone missing from the forests of erstwhile Adilabad district since 2013. Three of them were the cubs of the famous Phalguna which inhabited Kagaznagar forests in 2016. A three member-team Management Effective Evaluation of NTCA, which toured KTR in 2022, stressed that the relocation of two villages from the core area in KTR and setting up of a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) for Kawal and Amrabad tiger reserves.

Many suggestions of the MEE were not implemented due to various reasons including a fund crunch. In particular, animal trackers, who play a vital role in tracking movement of tigers in a habitat, are not paid salaries regularly.

FOR INFOGRAPHIC

Area of Kawal Tiger Reserve: 2,015.44 sq km

Area of core: 892.33 sq km

Area of buffer: 1,123.212 km

Tigers inhabiting forests of Kumram Bheem Asifabad: 10

Tigers inhabiting forests of Mancherial: 3

NTCA in Status of Tigers-2022 pointed out that no tigers were detected in the reserve except for a few individuals in Kaghaznagar forest division.

Around 10 big cats have gone missing from erstwhile Adilabad’s forests since 2013.

2023

Three persons from Bellampalli arrested for poaching a tiger five years ago

2021

Nine persons from Indervelli arrested for poaching a male tiger in Kaghaznagar on October 31

2019

16 persons including three poachers, two animal trackers belonging to Forest department, five brokers, the head and five activists of a Chandrapur-based voluntary organization arrested for poaching of a male tiger on the outskirts of Shivvaram village in Jaipur mandal

2018

Five poachers taken into custody for poaching a male tiger in Pembi Forest Range

2016

Four tribals caught for killing a male tiger by setting a electrical snare in Pinnaram forests