Subject: Sariska Tiger: Tigress was shot not an accident  

The following news item appeared in today's Times of India and highligh=
ts a
MOE probe into the tigress death at Sariska

TIMES OF INDIA, BOMBAY=20
MONDAY JUNE 16, 1997
______________________________________________________________________

=93TIGRESS WAS SHOT, DUMPED ON ROAD=94

The Times of India News Service
NEW DELHI: The entire story lacks credibility, concludes official probe
ordered by the Union ministry of environment the death, allegedly after
collision with a truck, of a tigress on thenight of June 4 on the
Alwar-Jaipur Road stretch passing within Rajasthan's Sariska national p=
ark.

 The conclusions of probe officer Navin Raheja of the environment minis=
try's
tiger crises cell, are:

The tigress was shot dead elsewhere and its body dumped on the road to =
make
it appear a road-accident;
The Union government must issue mandatory proceduralinstructions for st=
ate
wildlife officers, to be followed on the of any tiger death;
 As requested by Sariska's field director, the Alwar-Jaipur Road must b=
e
shifted outside the park boundary. Till it is, vehicular traffic should=
 be
allowed only during daylight.

According to park authorities, the tigress was chasing a deer when the
alleged collision with a truck took place. The deer fled across the roa=
d,
tigress pursuing, when the truck sped by and hit the predator, smashing=
 its
head. A motor-cyclist was behind the truck and reported the matter. The
carcass was cremated the following day.

However, Mr Raheja notes:
Tigers are very shy animals, with tremendous hearing-power. They camouf=
lage
themselves whenever a vehicle approaches. Here you have a truck, follow=
ed by
a motorcycle and the tigress is still said to have come on and got it; =
A
tiger weighs up to 200 kg, with a compact and strong There should have =
been
some dent on the front of the truck, for which there appears no evidenc=
e;

An autopsy by three local government veterinarians says the lower left =
jaw
was smashed, with two holes of around one cm each on that side. No X-Ra=
y of
the skull was taken. There wereno injuries on other parts of the body. =
If the
truck had hit the or head, the animal's body should've swerved and the =
head
lie on the opposite direction, not in the direction of the approachingt=
ruck.
Unless, of course, the body takes a full semi-circle, injuries on other
parts. But there were no other injuries;

How did two round wounds, one cm each, appear on the left side of the h=
ead,
if the head was hit on the right side by the truck? The site where the =
animal
reportedly died had a blood patch ofaround 11 sq. inches. For an animal=
 of
this size, with an external injury and haemorrhage, this appears too li=
ttle
blood. Conclusion: the tigress died elsewhere; the body was dumped here=
;

Mr Raheja notes all animals, particularly tigers, are buried after deat=
h.
This one was cremated, late the next evening, after skinning. Despite s=
o many
logical suspicions and the localised injury, there was no attempt at an=
 X-Ray
or to retain any portion of the head. No attempt was made to inform the=
 tiger
cell or any in the ministry or any non-government body; the probe began=
 after
a newspaper report.

Accordingly, his report recommends a detailed probe by the Union govern=
ment,
with procedural instructions whenever a tiger death is reported and shi=
fting
the Alwar-Jaipur Road outside the park boundary.

END