In Uttar Pradesh, the bodies of three tigers have been discovered in the span of just three days.
One dead tiger was found in the Kishanganj Sanctuary of the Dudhwa National Park, and the other two barely 300 meters from each other in the Haripur range of the Pilibhit district.
Four dairy farmers are being held for questioning in Pilibhit, according to NDTV.
Officials suspect the tigers were poisoned, due to ongoing human-tiger conflicts arising from diminishing tiger habitat, although killing for the black market has not been ruled out.
Over the weekend, at least eight suspected members of a wildlife trafficking gang were arrested in Madhya Pradesh.
Meanwhile, forest guards in Maharashtra have been cleared to shoot tiger killers on sight — without interference by human rights activists — following the discovery of a beheaded and mutilated tiger in the Chandrapur forest range.
Image by Vijaymp, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rhishja Cota
I am the founder of Annamiticus and I have been researching and writing about wildlife trafficking issues since 2009. I also founded World Pangolin Day in 2012. I am the author of USAID Wildlife Asia's Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk. I co-facilitated and was a presenter at the USAID Wildlife Asia Pangolin Care Workshop. At the 4th Regional Dialogue on Combating Trafficking of Wild Fauna and Flora, I facilitated the species roundtables on pangolins. I have trekked with forest rangers in Cambodia, journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES meetings, I collaborate with colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species. I hosted the Behind the Schemes podcast and am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine. I enjoy music, desert gardening, herping, reading, creating, and walking with my dogs. Check out my t-shirts and stickers at snoots + teefers.