Tiger Escapes Poaching Attempt With Shattered Paw in Gadchiroli, Rescued

Chandrapur: As a Special Investigation Team (SIT) continues its probe into the poaching network of the notorious Baheliya gang, led by Ajit Pardhi in Chandrapur, a suspected poaching attempt has come to light in neighboring Gadchiroli. An injured tiger, found with a severed front paw, was rescued by the forest department from farmland in the Ambeshivani beat of the Amirza forest round under the Chatgaon range of the Gadchiroli division on Friday afternoon.
According to officials, the five-year-old male tiger was first spotted on February 6 by foresters of the Chatgaon range.Senior officials were immediately informed, and as per their directives, the animal was kept under overnight observation. A joint rescue operation was launched on Friday by the Rapid Response Team (RRT) from Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve and foresters of the Chatgaon range, following the guidelines of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The tiger was tranquilised and captured for treatment.
Sources in the forest department revealed that the tiger had a severe injury on its front right paw. Officials suspect it may have been caught in a foot trap and, in a desperate attempt to free itself, lost its paw. Additionally, another injury was found on its left foreleg, which was also infected with maggots.
The injured tiger has been shifted to the Gorewada Rescue Centre and Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagpur for treatment. In response to the incident, an intensive search operation has been launched to recover any traps laid by poachers in the forest. A team of foresters, under the supervision of Chatgaon RFO Sunil Sontakke, is also searching surrounding villages and forested areas for any possible poacher settlements. However, no breakthroughs have been reported so far.
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The ninth accused in the poaching nexus busted in the Central Chanda forest division, Ning Sun Lun, was produced before the JMFC court in Rajura on Saturday. She was arrested in Shillong and has been remanded to forest custody until February 14. Lun is the second accused to be arrested from Shillong and is suspected to be a key figure in the wildlife smuggling network, allegedly having ties with international buyers.