One Of Tigress Avni’s Cubs Captured; Sent For ‘Rehabilitation’

The forest department has been trying to capture Avni’s cubs since her controversial killing in November.

The carcass of tigress Avni or T1 arrives for an autopsy at Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur on 3 November 2018. 

(Photo: IANS)

One of the two cubs of Yavatmal tigress 'T1' alias 'Avni', who was shot dead last month, was captured on Saturday, 22 December, a senior Maharashtra forest officer said.

A joint team of officials from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh forest departments managed to tranquilise and capture the female cub in the Anji forest in Yavatmal district in east Maharashtra, in the afternoon.

"The one-year-old female cub was tranquilised and caught at compartment no 665 in the Anji forest in Ralegaon at around 4 pm," said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife East, Nagpur, Sunil Limye.

The Indian Express reports that the other cub of the tigress was a few feet apart when the darting was done.

The Madhya Pradesh special team, which was called for the operation, carried out the operation at around 3 pm on Saturday. She was tranquilised after being cornered with the help of four elephants. She was later revived and has been sent to Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) as per the rehabilitation plan. The team will resume the operation to catch the other cub, the male, tomorrow.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) A K Mishra to <i>The Indian Express</i>

A team of around 100 people, including six veterinary officers from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, have been tracking the cub since 2 November when T1, which was responsible for deaths of some people in the region, was shot dead by a sharp shooter who was part of a team of Forest officials.

"The cub will now be sent to Pench and will be kept in an enclosure which is almost like an open forest. The cub is physically fit. A committee will be formed to decide about its release in wild," Limye said.

(With inputs from Indian Express and PTI)