Shiv Sena leader and Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray has raised some sharp and pointed questions about the manner in which Avani, the tigress was shot dead yesterday.
Avni, a “man-eater” tigress had killed 13 persons in and around Yavatmal district. State forest department had invited an ace shooter from Hyderabad to kill her. After many failed attempts, Avni was spotted near Pandharkavada last night. According to the forest department, attempts to tranquillise her proved futile and so, she was shot dead from a distance of approximately 8-10 metres.
“So what exactly is the difference between poachers/trophy hunters and the government officials who shot down and killed Avni?,” wrote Thackeray on Twitter.
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“Just that the Government officials and the forest ministry is supposed to protect animals and forests from these poachers, not get inspired by them.
Human- Animal conflict exists world over but it’s the duty of this very ministry to resolve such conflicts without hurting humans or wild life.
“I want the Honourable Minister of Forest (Sudhir Mungantiwar) to ask his officials handling this issue, and then answer the people directly on: If they could get a shot, so perfect to murder Avni, why couldn’t this expert blood thirsty hunter dart the tigress and tranquilise her? " asked Aditya.
“Probably there was a conflict with humans and we have to protect humans, but has the government really done anything to protect humans? Built toilets inside their houses? Fenced their farmlands? Compensated those killed and done anything else to protect the rest?”
Aditya also felt that such a perfect shot on a moving animal like a tiger that’s swift and apparently killing humans in sight needs practice. "Where does the hunter practice killing animals? And more importantly thereafter, was the tigress shot from a machaan? Or face to face just before it could kill him? Then surely darting was an option."
"More so, did he have the explicit permission of the Court to kill her, in his name, also when there was an alternative to dart her? Can he be tried under the wild life protection act?"
The tigress, said Aditya, could have been easily tranquillised and relocated.
"Today it is Avni, tomorrow it’ll be her cubs or another tiger. The conflict won’t end. The government needs to eliminate reasons for the conflict rather than kill animals: make indoor toilets, fence farms etc."
“Sadly today the mentality of the ministry and whoever runs this ministry with this attitude of laziness in conservation has been about credit and about trophy hunting,” he said.
