Tiger Reserves

Bhopal: A team comprising around 200 officials of the Madhya Pradesh forest officials located three orphaned cubs of tigress that was electrocuted by poachers in Shehdol district, after 48 hours of intensive search on Sunday. Rescue officials said these cubs were 'very weak and extremely exhausted'.
"The cubs would be shifted to chain-link fencing after a few days. One of them is too week," said Mradul Pathak, field director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve who was part of the combing operation carried out in the jungles near Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve in Shahdol district after carcass of electrocuted tigress was found on Thursday. He said NTCA's SOP on dealing with orphaned/abandoned cubs is being complied with.
These cubs have been brought to Bandhavgarh and would be released in wild after a few years. "They would be kept in the campus by creating an artificial jungle. They would be released after they grow up," said the officer.
Meanwhile forest officials have rounded up four people in connection with tigress's death. They are being interrogated for more details, said sources.
Tigress T1 died of electrocution, and its carcass was found in the revenue area near Banas river in Sarvahi village near the reserve on Wednesday. "It was jackal that led to recovery of the carcass. Patrolling squad had spotted a jackal digging the sand. When they went near they saw the tigress buried inside," said a forest officer.
Her cubs were rescued around 3 km away - inside the Sanjay-Dubri reserve - from the spot the carcass of tigress was recovered.
0The tigress had crossed over into human habitation. "She must have died three days ago. Now that her cubs have been rescued we are focusing on arresting the poachers. It is clear that there was electric wire traps on the route. Suspected have been identified," said R P Singh, chief of STF (wildlife).
Declared a 'Tiger State' in 1995, Madhya Pradesh has achieved the dubious distinction of having the highest number of tiger deaths in 2016 — 33, including one mowed down by a train in Hoshangabad on December 29.