Uttarakhand: Magisterial probe ordered into tiger's death in Corbett Reserve

It was shot by a forest guard after the animal had entered a village, an official said.The magisterial probe was ordered into the incident at the recommendation of Chief Wildlife Warden Samir Sinha. The tigress had entered the residential area of Marchula Bazar in Almora late Monday night, triggering panic in the area.Forest personnel first fired several rounds in the air to scare away the big cat.

A magisterial probe was ordered on Thursday into the death of a tiger whose carcass was found with a bullet wound in the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand three days ago. It was shot by a forest guard after the animal had entered a village, an official said.

The magisterial probe was ordered into the incident at the recommendation of Chief Wildlife Warden Samir Sinha. Almora's District Magistrate will probe the tigress' death, Sinha said. The tigress had entered the residential area of Marchula Bazar in Almora late Monday night, triggering panic in the area.

Forest personnel first fired several rounds in the air to scare away the big cat. But, instead of moving back into the forest, the animal began to move closer towards houses and shops, Sinha said.

A forest guard Dhiraj Kumar then fired two rounds which hit the tigress' right thigh, resulting in its death.

Kumar has been booked under Wildlife Conservation Act and attached to the plain range office of the Kalagarh forest division, Sinha said.

Corbett Director Dheeraj Pandey said the tigress was apparently unable to hunt in a natural habitat and thereby, had ventured into a populated area in search of easy prey. With more than 300 tigers, Uttarakhand accounts for the highest number of this cat specie in the country after Karnataka.

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