Panna (Madhya Pradesh): A two-year-old tiger was found dead in the Panna Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. Officials suspect that the tiger got trapped in 'live' electric wire fences set up to keep wild boars at bay. A hyena was also found dead, along with the tiger. Officials said, "A tiger and a hyena were found strangled in a wire trap laid by poachers to keep wild animals away. Both the animals died of electrocution on the spot. The information about the animals lying dead was received from compartment number 521 of Basudha beat under the Kishangarh range of the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR). The tiger was two-years-old."
Field director Brijendra Jha and wildlife expert Dr Sanjeev Kumar Gupta reached the spot on receiving information about the incident. Brijendra Jha said, "The tiger and the hyena died of electrocution after getting caught in a trap lined with wires carrying an electric current to kill wild boars. The carcasses of the big cat and the hyena were spotted in the Kishangarh area of the Tiger Reserve."
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The officials further said, "The carcasses of the animals were sent for post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death, after which the carcasses were cremated. A probe has been launched to find the accused, who laid the trap. The dog squad was also called for an investigation." This is the second death of a tiger in the Panna Tiger Reserve in one month. Last month, a tiger was found hanging from a tree in the tiger reserve.
The deaths of tigers in the Tiger Reserve have raised questions about the security of the Tiger Reserve. The officials said that "to stop such incidents, regular patrolling by the teams of forest officials will be done. Also, initiatives will be taken to educate the villagers to stop poaching tigers and other wild animals."
