Tiger poached in BRT wildlife sanctuary

HM Aravind, TNN | Jun 13, 2012, 10.49PM IST MYSORE: A six months old tiger cub has fallen prey to poachers. The cub is suspected to have been killed at BRT wildlife sanctuary, a tiger reserve in Chamarajnagar bordering Tamil Nadu. The poaching came to light following arrest of three who were netted by the forest department staff vigilance squad which posed as prospective buyers to lure them out. They were arrested at Siddiahnapura near Chamarajnagar and tiger pelt and bones recovered from them. The officials are trying to locate as to where the cub was killed. Sources told The Times of India that the cub is felled three days back given the freshness of the pelt. "How the big cat is felled is yet to be ascertained as there are no bullet marks on the pelt. It could be poisoned too," the sources stated. The officials are sending the pelt and bones to the Bangalore-based National Centre for Biological Studies for further examination. The sources stated that the gender of the cub could not be ascertained from the pelt but said it could be a female. Three arrested are Mahadev from Boodipadaga, Mahesh from Kullur and Narayan from Coimbatore. Two others escaped, the officials stated. This is second case of poaching reported from tiger reserves in Mysore-Kodagu-Chamarajnagar region. A tiger was killed in mid-February near Kushalnagar in the buffer zone of Nagarahole national park, which came to light on April 7 when the forest officials arrested one person at Naviluru in Periyapatna taluk in Mysore district. The arrested had later told the police that they killed the tiger when they went hunting for deer and came across the big cat. It was shot at and killed. eom http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Tiger-poached-in-BRT-wildlife-sanctuary/articleshow/14102783.cms