CCMB officials confirm tiger kill in Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve of Andhra Pradesh
The Hindu
Tiger killed, dragged and burnt in Indian tiger reserve; 14 accused arrested and released on bail. Measures taken to prevent future incidents.
In a strange incident, a tiger was allegedly killed at the foothill of a hillock, then it was dragged to the top of the hill for about one kilometre from the crime spot and then burnt to ashes in Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), located in Nallamala Forest of Andhra Pradesh. The NSTR is one of the largest tiger reserves in India and about 70 tigers inhabit this reserve.
Though the incident happened in December 2023, the poaching of the tiger was confirmed only after receiving the laboratory analysis reports from the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, which is a premier research organization in frontier areas of modern biology. The forest officials are still waiting for the forensic report.
N. Ramachandra Rao, District Forest Officer (DFO), Palnadu confirmed with The Hindu that the wild animal, which was killed, was a tiger. The incident happened at Pitchaiabhavi Thanda (a tribal hamlet in the Nallamala forest) in Loyapalli village of Veldurthy Mandal in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh. The concerned Forest officers came to know about the incident on December 18.
The forest department officials lodged criminal cases under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 against a total of 14 accused persons in this incident and all of them were produced before Additional Junior Civil Judge Court, Macherla in Palnadu district and released on bail.
Mr. Ramachandra Rao said that the accused persons including Meghavath Somla Naik (A1), Meghavath Balu Naik (A2), son of Babul Naik, Meghavath Balu Naik (A3), son of Chinna Naik, Meghavath Muni Naik (A4), Banavath Srinu Naik (A5), Desavath Anji Naik (A6), Megavath Hanumanth Naik (A7), Meghavath Balu Naik (A8), son of Sakru Naik, Megavath Nagu Naik (A9), Ramavath Hanumanth Naik (A10), Desavath Sriramulu Naik (A11), Banavath Vaghya Naik (A12), Banavath Nagaraju Naik (A13) and Desavath Balu Naik (A14).
The DFO further informed that accused number one was produced in the court on December 31, accused number 13 on January 6 and the remaining 12 accused persons on January 20 and they were granted bail on the respective dates.
All these accused persons were allegedly involved in tiger poaching in Compartment No. 62, Loyapalli Beat, Veldurthi Section of Macherla forest range of Palnadu district.
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