JAIPUR: Male tiger, MT-3 that travelled around 150km from Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) is suffering a grievous injury on its head.
The wound is now infested with maggots and a forest team is trying to trace the big cat to treat the injury. According to sources, “On Saturday, the tracking team saw the wound on the forehead of MT-3. It was bleeding and the animal cannot lick the wound as it is out of reach.”
Following this, the team from Ranthambore was pressed into operation to rescue the animal. However, the search and rescue operation is yet to be successful as the tiger is yet to be found. “Blood samples were collected from the area where the tiger was last seen. It appears the wound is maggot-infested,” a source said.
As the injury appeared on the peculiar spot, the forest officials are not ruling out the possibility of a snare. “There are many villages, including Ghati and Mashalpura, which have a history of snaring. The demand for bushmeat has always been there and local poachers often use this technique. It is possible the tiger got entangled in the snares meant to kill herbivores for bushmeat by local poachers,” the source added.
T-98, which is now known as MT-3, is the offspring of T-60 of RTR and is around four years old.
The injury has also exposed the glaring chink in tiger monitoring at MHTR as the collar of the tiger is not functioning. “Had the collar been working, the tiger could have been traced and timely treatment could have been provided,” said a forest staff on condition of anonymity
Male tiger T-98 that had strayed from and reached Ghati village of Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in February last year was collared and released in the Darrah range, but the collar is not functioning at present which is making it difficult to locate the tiger.
The wound is now infested with maggots and a forest team is trying to trace the big cat to treat the injury. According to sources, “On Saturday, the tracking team saw the wound on the forehead of MT-3. It was bleeding and the animal cannot lick the wound as it is out of reach.”
Following this, the team from Ranthambore was pressed into operation to rescue the animal. However, the search and rescue operation is yet to be successful as the tiger is yet to be found. “Blood samples were collected from the area where the tiger was last seen. It appears the wound is maggot-infested,” a source said.
As the injury appeared on the peculiar spot, the forest officials are not ruling out the possibility of a snare. “There are many villages, including Ghati and Mashalpura, which have a history of snaring. The demand for bushmeat has always been there and local poachers often use this technique. It is possible the tiger got entangled in the snares meant to kill herbivores for bushmeat by local poachers,” the source added.
T-98, which is now known as MT-3, is the offspring of T-60 of RTR and is around four years old.
The injury has also exposed the glaring chink in tiger monitoring at MHTR as the collar of the tiger is not functioning. “Had the collar been working, the tiger could have been traced and timely treatment could have been provided,” said a forest staff on condition of anonymity
Male tiger T-98 that had strayed from and reached Ghati village of Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in February last year was collared and released in the Darrah range, but the collar is not functioning at present which is making it difficult to locate the tiger.
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