Maharashtra: Conflict tiger which killed 13 persons captured in Gadchiroli
What's the story
The conflict tiger, CT-1, which killed 13 persons in three districts of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra over the last 10 months, was tranquilized and captured by the forest department in Gadchiroli district on Thursday. The tiger was tracked in the Wadsa forest range and had become a threat to human lives, a forest department official told PTI.
Context
Why does this story matter?
A Royal Bengal Tiger that had allegedly turned man-eater was shot dead on the fringes of Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar last Saturday following a 28-day marathon hunt. Human settlement in buffer zones and increased tiger population following effective conservation expanding the boundaries of the local habitat range are prime reasons for the conflict, as per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Twitter Post
Forest department personnel tracked the tiger for over a week
The conflict #tiger #CT1 who claimed 2take 13 deaths from Vidarbha has been finally captured early morning 2day frm #Vadasa. Ds operation was challenging due2 tiger's unusual behaviour of leaving the place after human kills. #Bhandara #Gondia #Gadchiroli #Chandrapur #Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/gYIQzeEX6G
— NETWA DHURI (@netwadhuri) October 13, 2022
Information
Decision to capture it taken on Oct 4
The tiger killed six persons in Wadsa, four in Bhandara district, and three in Brahmapuri forest range in Chandrapur district since December last year. It was sent 180 kilometer away, to the Gorewada rescue center in Nagpur, for rehabilitation. At a meeting on October 4, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Nagpur directed the tiger to be captured.
Details
Conflict tigers attack humans for reasons other than defense
Tigers who attack humans for reasons other than defending their cubs or protecting themselves are branded as conflict tigers. The Tadoba Tiger Rescue team, the Rapid Response Teams of Chandrapur, Navegaon-Nagzira and other units worked together to capture the tiger. Shrinking forest cover and increasing human settlements near tiger reserves and buffer zones is aggravating the conflict.