Chosen as 'Picture of the Week'
Snares are among the most deadly killers of wildlife. They are silent, indiscriminate and very difficult to detect. That they are also extremely cheap and easy to set adds to their lethal cocktail of dangerousness.
On 21st December, 2011, an adult tiger was found dead at a place called Chekkadi in Tirunelli Village, just two kilometres from the boundary of Wayanad Sanctuary in Kerala. The tiger was caught in a strong wire snare skillfully laid between two trees just beyond a thick hedge. A case has been registered and investigations are underway. Conservation India carried a note on the ‘Legal Aspects of Tiger Mortality’ along with a picture sourced from local sources. This picture was sourced from an auto enthusiast who had posted this image on Team BHP (a popular automobile forum). He was staying at a private jungle resort in Wayanad when he heard about this dead tiger from a nearby coffee estate / field. The picture clearly shows how the snare had completely tightened around its belly leading to a horrible and painful death. The snare is typically meant for smaller animals like deer or boar. This clearly indicates that hunting wildlife (especially surrounding parks) for the pot and for commercial sale is far more widespread than most people realize, and is leading to an ‘empty forest’ syndrome in many parts of the country. Read about a fascinating study on this issue called ‘Local Hunting and Conservation of Large Mammals’.
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Older Comments 1
Such a magnificent animal to die such a painful death in Gods Own Country is shattering. We need to start some moment like what Anna Hazare did and implement tough regulations .