Key Points

Sources said that the authorities have taken two persons into custody on Friday and are questioning them in connection with the incident.

Speaking to the media in Bengaluru, CM Siddaramaiah said that appropriate action would be taken once the investigation report is submitted.

Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment Eshwar Khandre on Friday described the incident involving the death of five tigers as deeply saddening. He stated that as soon as information about the incident was received, a team led by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) was formed and given three days to submit a report.

The investigation has already begun, and preliminary findings suggest poisoning as the likely cause. According to the minister, a cow left by farmers to graze in the forest was killed by the tigress. The tigress and the cubs are believed to have fed on the cow’s carcass for three to four days. It is now suspected that the cow had been poisoned.

Minister Khandre assured that the investigation would be conducted seriously and with full transparency.

He further stated that the responsibility of tiger conservation lies with both the state and the Central governments. While the Central government issues directions at appropriate times, it has not released funds for the Tiger Project as expected, he said.

"They are supposed to provide grants. I am not trying to politicise the issue, but both the state and the Centre must make coordinated efforts to ensure tiger conservation," he emphasised.

"I have discussed this matter with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and he is committed to the protection of wildlife," Khandre added.

The post-mortem examinations of the five tigers have been completed, and their viscera samples have been sent to laboratories for analysis to confirm the cause of death, he said.

The forest and police authorities have launched a search on Friday for the owner of the cow in connection with the death of the tigress and the cubs in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamarajanagar.

The unnatural deaths, likely due to poisoning, had come to light on Thursday.

The carcasses of the tigress and the cubs were discovered in the Meenyam forest area, within the Hoogyam range of the sanctuary.

According to sources, the tigress had killed a cow and dragged it into the forest. She and four of her cubs had partially consumed the meat. It is suspected that local villagers, upon finding the carcass of the cow, poisoned it. The tigress and cubs are believed to have returned to the kill and died after consuming the poisoned meat.

The authorities have also recovered the carcass of the cow killed by the tigress and are working to identify its owner. Preliminary investigations suggest that local cattle owners may have poisoned the carcass.

Initially, it was reported that the tigress and three cubs had died. However, authorities later confirmed that the tigress and four cubs had died under unnatural circumstances.

- IANS