Two tiger cubs killed, legs severed in Dehradun

A tiger cub poaching case has been reported in Haridwar's Shyampur range, with two cubs allegedly poisoned and mutilated after consuming contaminated buffalo meat.

Two tiger cubs were allegedly poached and mutilated in the Shyampur range of the Haridwar Forest Division in Haridwar, with their legs cut off after death, forest officials said on Wednesday.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vivek Pandey said that Fammi, a 37-year-old resident of a Gujjar settlement in compartment number nine of the Shyampur range and a member of the Van Gujjar nomadic forest community, has been arrested and sent to jail, while two other accused are absconding.

Pandey said forest officials recovered the remains of tiger cubs, aged around one year, one male and one female, on the night of May 19.

According to Pandey, forest officials also found a partially eaten buffalo carcass near the spot where the cubs' remains were discovered.

Forest officials suspect the accused poisoned the buffalo carcass, leading to the cubs' death after they consumed the contaminated meat.

Officials said the cubs' mother was not found at the site, and search operations are underway to trace her.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly told investigators that two other men, identified as Ashiq and Juppi, were also involved in the crime.

Officials said a similar incident occurred nearly a decade ago in the Shyampur range, when members of the Van Gujjar community allegedly hunted and killed a tigress after the animal preyed on one of their buffaloes.

The Shyampur forest area lies adjacent to the Chilla range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve.

Tigers often move from this range into forest areas inhabited by Van Gujjar settlements and livestock, leading to recurring human-wildlife conflict incidents.