Human life is more important than that of a tiger, senior Congress leader and former minister Vijay Wadettiwar said Monday.

Wadettiwar's statement is not entirely on the lines of that of his party colleagues who have held protests and have demanded the sacking of Maharashtra Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar over the killing of tigress Avni.

The Congress leader, however, added that "the tigress could have been tranquilised properly" instead of being shot down.

The tigress, officially known as T1, was shot dead in an operation in a forest in Yavatmal district on November 2, leading to outrage among animal lovers who accused the state government of violating norms.

Mungantiwar has come under fire from animal rights activists for the killing of the tigress, mother of two 10-month-old cubs, though he and the state government have defended it, calling the incident "sad" but necessary after Avni had attacked forest staff trying to tranquilise it.

"Human life is more important than (that of) tigers. People who reside on the borders of forests are always under threat. A tiger should be protected but human life is more important than the tiger," Wadettiwar told reporters in Nagpur Monday.

"It is not only about few hundreds of people losing their lives in last few years. But as many as 26 tigers have also died in the last four years in the Vidarbha region alone," he claimed.

"The government has failed to offer better job opportunities in rural areas. Hence farmers are forced to enter forest areas and seek livelihood. This is causing a rise in man-animal conlfict," Wadettiwar said.

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