Tidings from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district have confirmed that the two cubs of slain tigress T1 aka Tigress Avni have hunted down a bait on Sunday evening, the first time since their mother was shot dead on November 2.
They have reportedly killed a pony tied as bait, and consumed a major portion of the carcass, putting to rest speculation that they may starve following their mother’s death.
The pony’s carcass was found on Monday morning by forest guards in the compartment 655 of Anji beat, in Maregaon range of Pandharkwada division, Yavatmal district.
Officials from the division confirmed the news on the condition of anonymity, though the hunter from Hyderabad Shafat Ali Khan did so on record. Mr Khan’s team, including his son Asghar Ali Khan, killed the tigress during an unsuccessful tranquilising operation.
‘No other tiger roaming’
“I have seen the pony’s half-eaten carcass this morning. There was no other tiger roaming in the area, hence it is confirmed that the cubs hunted it down,” he says.
The forest is home to only four tigers, of which T1 had been put down. Her mate, named T2, was caught on camera traps eight kilometres from the spot the pony was killed, ruling out his involvement.
Mr. Khan, who has been closely following up the rescue of the cubs since the killing of tigress T1, says the latest hunt by the 11-month-old cubs gives hope that they might survive in the wild.
‘Supervision needed’
“The cubs need to be under close watch by Maharashtra Forest department for six more months, as they might have imbibed their mother’s human hunts and lost fear of human beings. Tranquilising is a stressful job, and once tranquilised, they will have to be moved to captivity. It is my personal opinion that they should be provided more live bait, till they start hunting on their own,” he adds.
Eye on T2
More worrisome, however, is the fact that the saliva of tiger T2 was found in two of the human kills that T1 had reportedly made, which also mandates close watch on the male, he says.
Thirteen human kills in Yavatmal district were being attributed to T1, or Avni. Her killing has led to unprecedented public outcry with wildlife activists and environmentalists, including Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, who termed it a murder by “trigger-happy” Khan, joining the protest chorus.