Tigress carcass dumped overnight in toilet of forest range office in Almora

The carcass of a tigress dumped overnight Sunday in a toilet of the forest range office in Dabra in Uttarakhand’s Almora forest division before a post-mortem was conducted Monday afternoon has sparked a row with wildlife activists criticizing the act of carelessness.

Wildlife activists have also demanded immediate action by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) that is spending billions of rupees for the protection of big cats. They are also sore that there is no designated place to keep carcasses of tigers until they are disposed off.

“A dead tiger is worth lakhs. But, recklessly keeping the tiger carcass in a toilet all night without guarding it is a sheer slap on the global protection oath that India has taken during St Petesburgh declaration, 2010,”AG Ansari, Ramnagar based wildlife activist said.

The tigress was found dead in Dabra area of Almora forest division Sunday night. As it was getting late, the staff brought it to the range office and kept it in the toilet.

A video which emerged on Monday highlighted the sorry state of affairs. Flies and maggots had infested the carcass while a spider web had covered the face.

In the morning, the staff tied the tigress with ropes and pulled it outside in open for the post mortem formalities which eventually took place in the afternoon.

“What was the need of keeping the carcass of a tiger? What if some criminals would have stolen it? It was a great risk the staff took,” Rajeev Mehta, another activist said.

The illegal trade in tiger skin, bones, claws and teeth is lucrative business for poachers and smugglers.

Divisional forest officer (DFO) of Almora Pankaj Kumar blamed lack of resources and tough terrain for keeping the carcass in the toilet.

“We have limited resources and the staff kept it in the best possible manner. The terrain is tough and inviting two veterinarians for the post-mortem was difficult then,” Kumar said.

It is sixth tiger death within five months this year in Uttarakhand.