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2 Corbett tigers die in `battles',
experts sceptic
The Times of India News Service
ALIGARH: Two tigers have been killed in the Jim Corbett Park during the last 48 hours. While one carcass was discovered near
Dhikala, in the heart of the national
park on Tuesday, another was found dead near Sitabani just outside the park boundary, but within the confines of
the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
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The park's deputy director Kapil Joshi claimed both the killings were the result of ``territorial fights'' between tigers and not the handiwork of poachers. Joshi
supported his claim by pointing out that both the carcasses had extensive injuries and lacerations as a result of furious battles. He said the post-mortem, carried
out by a veterinary expert, had also confirmed the territorial fight theory.
Park officials said in the case of the Dhikala tiger, the forest staff had heard the roars of the battling beasts throughout the night. In the end, it was a young male,
barely four years old, which died.
Joshi said the viscera of the dead animals had not been sent for examination as there was ``no need'' for such an investigation.
Park officials said it was a ``sheer coincidence'' that both the incidents, which took place at a distance of 50 km from each other, occurred on the same day.
There appears to be little room for doubting the official version. However, conservationists said in view of past experiences, reports of ``territorial killings'' and ``natural deaths due to old age'' should always be followed by full-fledged inquiries, including scientific analyses.
This skepticism of conservationists is apparently the result of their bitter experiences in Corbett, when the killing of male elephants in the last few years were explained away
by officials as ``natural deaths''. It was only the ``damning
evidence'', which tumbled out last month by sheer chance, that uncovered the real extent of poaching in the national park.
According to wildlife experts, fights between male tigers are ``not uncommon''. Such clashes are the result of ``territorial encounters'' or ``disputes over a kill''.
Male tigers have territories of their own which may vary in size from 20 sq km to 50 sq km. The territory of a female tiger ``frequently overlaps'' the territory of a male tiger. Tigers of both sexes emit distinctive pungent secretions, which are left behind on foliage and rocks along their established trails, that mark the boundaries of their territories. They also mark their favourite trees with their claws to establish their territorial rights.
According to official statistics, there are about 120 tigers in the Corbett Tiger Reserve, which covers an expanse of 1,300 sq km. Conservationists, however, describe this figure as ``highly inflated''.
According to conservationists, the real truth about the survival status of both tigers and elephants at Corbett can emerge only if the forthcoming census in Corbett is conducted in a transparent manner, ``with the active participation of wildlife scientists and reputed conservation groups''.
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