Tiger carcass had gunshot-like wound

Mazhar Ali, TNN May 20, 2012, 04.53AM IST CHANDRAPUR: Was the tiger, whose carcass was recovered in 10 pieces in Borda jungle, was shot by a gun? That is the big question before investigators probing the tiger poaching case. While investigators are much inclined on electrocution angle in poaching, mention of a hole on tiger carcass akin to a gunshot injury in autopsy report has raised new questions in the case. Veterinary doctors who performed post mortem on the tiger carcass found burn injury marks which could have been caused due to electrocution, but they also discovered a lone hole on the stomach just below the hip which could be a shot injury of manually loading gun. "Vets have recovered some blackish metal like balls from the injury. Such injury could be caused due to gun shot," said sources. DCF, Chandrapur forest division, P Kalyankumar confirmed the hole in the tiger carcass. "The entire injured portion having hole on it has been removed from the carcass and forwarded to the forensic department for confirmation. Possibility of tiger being shot by gun cannot be ruled out. In that case, burn injury marks suggesting electrocution could have been put deliberately to confuse investigators," he said. Forest officers are also probing the case from the angle of electrocution. They have obtained trip record of electric supply lines from MSEDCL. The tiger is assumed to have been killed Thursday night, but it has turned out that there was no tripping of power supply that night. "Records suggest that electric supply was not snapped on Thursday night. But there were incidents of tripping in the afternoon and evening on Thursday. However, poachers do not lay electrified wire for poaching during the day as there are high chances of grazing cattle coming in its contact," Kalyankumar said. He, however, maintained that this is an unusual case and hence chances of day time electrocution too is not being ruled out. Investigators have summed up that more than one poacher are involved in poaching. Whoever had poached the tiger had access to four-wheeler and a butcher. Foresters are more focused on summer farming area, which have to irrigation facility with 11 KV connections. "Local poachers are clear suspects in the case. Poachers could have been after some herbivores, but a tiger died in their trap. They were clever enough to remove the carcass to a distant location. There is definitely no Baheliya gang connection into this poaching as such destruction of tiger skin is not their modus operandi," DCF said. Forest department is seeking all the help from police and MSEDCL for investigations into the case, he added. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-20/nagpur/31788085_1_tiger-carcass-electrocution-chandrapur-forest-division