Snare in leg of Tipeshwar tigress removed

Nagpur: The four-year-old tigress that was moving inside the Tipeshwar wildlife sanctuary, 180km from here in Pandharkawda division, with a wire snare in her front leg has been captured and is being treated for the injury.
On April 21, TOI reported that tigress T2-C1, which was one of the offsprings of the second litter of park’s dominating tigress T2, was seen limping by the patrolling staff on April 18. A wire snare was observed in her leg.
“We summoned wildlife veterinarian Chetan Patond from Nagpur, who zeroed in on the animal after three days and tranquilized it on April 21. The snare was not of metal but a strong rope generally used for rappelling and climbing purposes,” said DFO Subhash Puranik.
Puranik said, “The rope was so tightly stuck that had it not been removed, the forelimb would have to be amputated. There is a wound and swelling on the leg and the tigress is being treated inside the park. It will be released in its natural habitat in two-three days.”
“We avoided sending the animal to Gorewada Rescue Centre at Nagpur to avoid stress and further human imprints on the tigress,” the DFO added.
Tipeshwar sanctuary has an old history of laying snares by local poachers. These snares are laid by villagers to poach herbivores like deer, wild boar, and chitals for bushmeat. Tigers come into contact with these snares leaving them in the lurch. There are 14 villages bordering the sanctuary. This is the fourth recorded case from Tipeshwar where a tiger got entangled in wire snares.