Probe into tigers death at Kanha

The NTCA has tried to reach the field director but since he is travelling,it has not been able to contact him. I will also take up the matter officially with the field director when he comes to attend a conference tomorrow, said NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal.

All field directors have been summoned to the Wildlife Institute of India,Dehradun,by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the NTCA to discuss the high number of tiger deaths in the country in the recent times. Gopal is already in Dehradun to attend the meet,and Singh is slated to join on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Indian Express,Singh denied the charges. No tigers have died in the past few days in Kanha. These are rumours spread by people with vested interests, he said.

Since November last year,at least 12 tigers have died at the reserve. Kanha is also currently battling field fires.

The Indian Express had reported earlier that between November and March,at least seven tigers had died at Kanha. More deaths were reported later.

The MoEF has also deputed the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to prepare a detailed investigation report on the reasons behind the deaths of so many tigers within such a short time period.