Third tiger death in Ranthambore: No decision yet on panel's advice to shift three ‘raised' tigers
In less than three months, the three fatal attacks on humans took place within a radius of less than 500 metres inside Ranthambhore.
Following the first two fatal attacks — one on April 16 by sub-adult tigress Kankati and another on May 11 by Kankati and her unnamed male sibling — a technical committee constituted to examine the issue concluded that the three sub-adult cubs of tigress Arrowhead, on live bait support since July 2023, have become habituated to people and should be shifted from Ranthambhore.
On May 14, Kankati was spotted in a millet field outside the tiger reserve where the forest staff tranquilised her. Once the tigress was placed in an enclosure in Ranthambhore's Talda, nobody was in a hurry to act on the technical committee's recommendation for her two siblings.
Early Monday, Radheshyam Mali, a chowkidar of the Jain Mandir, located close to the Ganesh temple inside the Ranthambore fort, went to relieve himself outside the guard post when two other chowkidars heard him scream. Later, a team of forest staff followed the trail of blood and recovered Mali's 'partially eaten' body 30-40 metres from the spot of attack.
Of the six sub-adult tigers that frequent the Jogi Mahal and Ranthambhore fort areas, three born to tigress Riddhi were reportedly spotted some distance away near Padam Talao around the time of the incident.
With tigress Kankati in an enclosure, her two siblings, particularly the male that was involved in the second fatal attack with Kankati, are the prime suspects for the latest attack.
While Ranthambhore field director K R Anoop declined comment, a senior official said that the authorities should not have delayed implementing the technical committee's advice to shift the three sub-adult cubs outside Ranthambhore.
'It is understandable that the decisions on where all to send the tigers and whether to keep them in enclosures in the new locations can take time. But Kankati's two siblings should have been tranquilised and placed with her in the enclosure in Ranthambhore. Instead, we continued to play with fire,' he said.
On Monday, hours after the third death, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), with the Union Minister's approval, cleared the proposal to shift the three tigers from Ranthambhore. But a go-ahead from the Environment Ministry is still awaited, said Rajasthan Chief Wildlife Warden Shikha Mehra.
Consider the timeline:
April 16: Tigress Kankati kills 7-year-old Kartik Suman, who came to visit the Ganesh temple.
May 11: Kankati and her male sibling kill Range Officer Devendra Singh.
May 13: As per the NTCA's SOP, a technical committee is formed in Ranthambhore with local, state and central representatives to suggest the way forward.
May 17: The committee submits its report to the state government, recommending that tigress Arrowhead's three sub-adult cubs should be shifted out of Ranthambhore.
The recommendation was backed by three key observations:
When contacted, NTCA member-secretary Govid Sagar Bhardwaj said 'the Authority cleared it (the recommendation) as soon as possible'.
The Environment Ministry's clearance is awaited from the ADG (Forests) Ramesh Kumar Pandey, who did not respond to a request for comment.
A former NTCA official cautioned against 'too much bureaucracy' when 'prompt field action' is required: 'The Wildlife Act stipulates that the Centre's nod is needed to shift tigers. When the NTCA, a central agency, issues a clearance with the minister's nod, do we need another layer of approval from the ministry?'
Jay Mazoomdaar is an investigative reporter focused on offshore finance, equitable growth, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation. Over two decades, his work has been recognised by the International Press Institute, the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, the Asian College of Journalism etc.
Mazoomdaar's major investigations include the extirpation of tigers in Sariska, global offshore probes such as Panama Papers, Robert Vadra's land deals in Rajasthan, India's dubious forest cover data, Vyapam deaths in Madhya Pradesh, mega projects flouting clearance conditions, Nitin Gadkari's link to e-rickshaws, India shifting stand on ivory ban to fly in African cheetahs, the loss of indigenous cow breeds, the hydel rush in Arunachal Pradesh, land mafias inside Corbett, the JDY financial inclusion scheme, an iron ore heist in Odisha, highways expansion through the Kanha-Pench landscape etc. ... Read More
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
8 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Juniors report ragging during money collection for festival at Kurnool medical college
No ragging incident took place: KMC principal He stressed that such incidents tarnish the reputation of medical institutions, and promised strict action if the complaints were found to be genuine. The Health Minister also instructed the principal to submit the Anti-Ragging Committee's report without any delay. The government will not tolerate any form of harassment or misconduct by seniors in educational institutions, he asserted. However, in a press statement released on Saturday, medical college principal Dr K Chitti Narasamma made it clear that no ragging had occurred. Speaking on the findings of the internal probe, she said, 'There is no truth to the allegations of ragging. The college's Anti-Ragging Committee has conducted a detailed inquiry, including one-on-one discussions with students, and obtained written statements. Nowhere in the investigation did students confirm the occurrence of ragging.' The principal, however, clarified that the money collection was part of annual festival activities traditionally organised by students in the hostels, and not intended as a form of ragging. Further, she asserted that if any student was harassed or troubled under the guise of Ganesh celebrations, appropriate action will be taken. Apart from this, student groups and alumni have called for greater transparency, urging the college to prioritise student welfare and ensure that such festivals are voluntary, and inclusive, free from coercion or senior-junior tensions.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Police arrest migrant beggars for abduction of minor girl
A police investigation into the abduction of a two-year-old girl from the Wonder City slum area in Katraj on July 26 has led to the arrest of at least five accused who are largely migrant beggars from the Pardhi community who abducted the child for begging purposes during festivals and pilgrimages. The accused have been identified as Sunil Bhosale, 51; Shankar Pawar, 50; and Shalubai Kale, 45 – all of whom hail from Pardhi Vasti in Tuljapur, Dharashiv district. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO) The accused have been identified as Sunil Bhosale, 51; Shankar Pawar, 50; and Shalubai Kale, 45 – all of whom hail from Pardhi Vasti in Tuljapur, Dharashiv district. Their interrogation led to the arrest of two more accused namely Ganesh Pawar, 35, also from Pardhi Vasti in Tuljapur; and Mangal Kale, 19, from Pune. The arrested accused are believed to be part of a larger network of beggars who travel frequently between religious destinations that draw crowds such as Pandharpur and Alandi during the annual Wari and Pune during the Ganesh festival to earn money through organised begging. The accused allegedly kidnap young children to accompany them while begging so as to gain public sympathy and increase their earnings. The two-year-old girl from the Katraj slum was similarly abducted the night of July 26 following which her father lodged a police complaint. The girl is one of his twin daughters, the police said. Rahulkumar Khilare, senior police inspector (SPI) at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station, said, 'Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused are from the Pardhi community, and had planned to exploit the abducted child for begging. However, further investigation is underway.' According to one of the investigating officers, 'These accused may have been part of a larger beggars' network operating from various religious places. They exploit the abducted children to gain sympathy from the devotees during begging.' During the lean season, the accused would travel from Tuljapur to other cities like Pune during the Ganesh festival or Pandharpur and Alandi during the annual Wari to earn money from begging. The police are trying to trace the full extent of the racket and crosschecking whether other children have gone missing from any of these cities. Meanwhile, the Dharashiv police have confirmed that in a similar case of kidnapping three months ago, a 15-year-old girl was found with some people from the Pardhi community. Due to a tipoff from the local police, the Dharashiv police rescued the girl and handed her over to her parents. In the instant case, the police said that Sunil Bhosale, the mastermind behind the girl's abduction, has a criminal record with cases of attempt to murder and house break-ins registered against him. Whereas Shankar Pawar is physically challenged and used to beg near the Tuljabhavani temple in Tuljapur, Dharashiv district. The third accused, Shalu Kale, was involved in an earlier case of kidnapping. During the investigation into the two-year-old girl's abduction, the police analysed CCTV footage from 140 cameras spanning the area from Katraj to Pune station which led them to identify the accused. Subsequently, a police team travelled to Dharashiv and arrested the accused on Tuesday with the assistance of local authorities. Khilare said, 'We have just arrested the accused on Tuesday. We will come to know whether other children have been abducted and who else is involved only after further investigation.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Arrowhead's daughter spotted near human settlement, triggers alert in Ramgarh Vishdhari
1 2 Jaipur: Heightened vigilance gripped the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) after tigress RBT 2507, recently reintroduced into the wild, was spotted near the fringes of a human settlement Wednesday. The big cat, in search of territory, was observed near a public school, triggering alarm among residents and forest officials. What sets this case apart is the tigress's lineage. RBT 2507 is the daughter of Ranthambhore's iconic tigress Arrowhead and the sister of Kankati, the sub-adult held responsible for killing a forest guard and a seven-year-old child in Ranthambhore earlier this year. This connection has intensified scrutiny, even though RBT 2507 has not exhibited aggressive behaviour so far. The tigress was released into the wild on July 16. Officials, though, are taking no chances. Forest teams used firecrackers to push the tigress back into the forest Wednesday. Three monitoring teams have been deployed in shifts to track her movement around the clock. If the animal ventures close to human habitation again, tranquilisation and capture may be considered. An NTCA directive earlier this year led to the translocation of all three of Arrowhead's cubs from Ranthambhore, citing behavioural anomalies. Kankati's aggressive incidents—and her male sibling also attacking and killing a human—fuelled by live bait feeding and poor hunting adaptation, were flagged as major concerns. RBT 2507 was chosen for release as she did not display hostile tendencies. However, a senior source expressed apprehension: "Releasing these sub-adults into the wild was a risky decision. Two of them already attacked humans. Relocation doesn't erase that instinct." Environmental activist Bhanwar Singh Hada said, "As of Thursday evening, she (RBT 2507) was within the forest near Tiger Hill, about 12 km from Bundi city. There is no immediate reason for alarm."
