'Supari' on tigers: Poachers paid Rs.40 lakh for killing 25 big cats in Maharashtra

Madhya Pradesh's Baheliya community is known to trap and kill tigers. The Maharashtra government has issued a red alert after an intelligence input that tiger poachers have been paid an advance of Rs.40 lakh in order to kill 25 big cats. The poachers are apparently from Madhya Pradesh. There are 106 tigers in Maharashtra's tiger reserves and state forest department officials said that they face a threat from Madhya Pradesh's Baheliya community, which is known to trap and kill tigers. Immediately after getting the alert, Pravin Pardeshi, state principal secretary (forests), has issued a red alert, asking all forest personnel to keep an eye on tiger reserves and nature parks. Pardeshi has asked all forest officials to station more personnel and increase patrolling near watering holes and other places known to be frequented by tigers. The leave of all forest security guards has been cancelled till June 15. Not only that, in a bid to ensure the cooperation of tribals, a reward scheme has also been announced by Pardeshi. Under the scheme, anyone who gives information about metal traps laid out by poachers to capture the tigers would be paid Rs.5,000. Forest department officials have also been asked to ensure that besides traps, watering holes in the jungles are not used to poison the animals. The red alert and the state government's measures could not have come at a better time as in the last few days at least two tigers in Chandrapur have fallen prey to traps allegedly laid by Baheliya poachers. According to forest department officials, poachers had laid traps near a watering hole frequented by tigers in the Palasgaon range. One young male tiger was found dead after being snared in the trap and a tigress was found barely alive. Officials said that the entire watering hole was surrounded by metal traps and that one of the forest guards, who had gone to the area to set up camera traps to apprehend poachers, was himself caught in one of these traps. Baheliya gangs are involved in such activities because tiger skin fetches easily more than Rs.1 crore. There is high demand for a tiger's nails, hair, bones and teeth too. Most of the poachers are active in Sindhevahi, Mul, Nagibad, Brahmapuri and Chimur villages, which are in the buffer zone of Tadoba Tiger reserve. The poachers have it easy because the reserve lies on the border of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh from where they freely enter and exit after killing the tigers. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tigers-poachers-killing-big-cats-maharashtra/1/189060.html http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/tigers-poachers-killing-big-cats-maharashtra/1/189060.html