Panna (Madhya Pradesh): A tiger and a hyena died due to electrocution in the Panna Tiger Reserve on Wednesday. These deaths came within a month of a tiger found dead hanging to a noose in the reserve forest. The tiger deaths in quick succession have raised many question marks on the functioning of the forest department officials in charge of the reserve and wildlife sanctuary there.
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The latest death of the tiger and hyena was reported from Basudha Beat number 521 falling under Kishangarh Range of the wildlife sanctuary. The age of the tiger was stated to be two years. Besides, the needle of suspicion was also pointed towards the poachers, who were involved in laying live wires on the surface of the forest for trapping wild boars and other animals.
Somehow, the tiger and hyena came in contact with these live wires, leading to their death. Both the wild animals died on the spot. After receiving information, field director Brijendra Jha and wildlife expert Dr Sanjeev Kumar Gupta rushed to the spot to investigate the matter. They said the wild beasts might have come in contact with live wires accidentally.
Sharing information about the death of tiger and hyena in the reserve forest, the field director said, "We didn't see any sign regarding involvement of poachers in the incident. No doubt wires were found spread on the forest floor to trap herbivores. But mistakenly, the tiger and hyena came in contact with these live current wires."
On the other hand, the carcasses of tiger and hyena were sent for the post mortem examination and thereafter the bodies were disposed of. A dog squad was also pressed into service to get the clues of the accused responsible for spreading live wires in the reserve forest areas.
