Bhopal:The Centre has issued a 'red alert' to 13 tiger reserves against poachers and directed Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra governments to intensify vigil.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has instructed the officers of the concerned departments to be on alert and visit the tiger reserves. It has instructed officials to intensify patrolling and surveillance in the sensitive areas.
The instruction comes soon after a six-day-old carcass of an adult tiger was found in a reservoir in Chhorna core area in Madhya Pradesh's Satpura Tiger Reserve on June 26. The tiger's neck had been slit by the poachers.
All regional operators and officers of various tiger reserves namely Pench, Kanha, Tadoba, Corbett, Amangarh, Pilibhit, Valmiki, Rajaji, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur have been asked to intensify patrolling in the forests. They have been asked to visit the sensitive areas and search for the suspected nomadic people in tents, temples, railway stations, bus stations, abandoned buildings and public shelters. It has also asked officers to share information with all police stations and sanitise the sensitive areas.
Wildlife expert Ajay Dubey wrote a letter to the Center and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanding strict action against the officers of the forest department over the tiger deaths. Expressing concern over tiger poaching, Dubey urged Chouhan and the Center to save tigers and punish the guilty officers by taking strict action against them.
According to Dubey nearly 100 tigers have died across the country in 2023 of which, 26 are from Madhya Pradesh. He said that Madhya Pradesh ranks first in tiger deaths for the last several years. An alert was issued only after the headless carcass was found, he said adding: "The problem is due to the incompetence of the officers of the state's wildlife. The corrupt and negligent attitude of the officers of Satpura Tiger Reserve have led to such an incident. The state government should check this immediately else incidents of poaching will rise," he said.
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According to the order issued by WCCB, on the basis of inputs received and relevant seizures, organized poaching gangs were seen operating around various tiger reserves especially Satpura, Tadoba, Pench, Corbett, Amangarh, Pilibhit, Valmiki, Rajaji and tiger bearing areas of Balaghat, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur. The concerned officers should intensify patrolling immediately and visit the identified sensitive areas, the order read.
