George Herald | Tiger deaths on the rise in India

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Tiger deaths on the rise in India
12:38 (GMT+2), Tue, 12 June 2012

INTERNATIONAL NEWS - India has recorded 48 tiger deaths since January, nearly as many as during all of last year, in a setback to its efforts to save the endangered animal, an official said Tuesday.

"The largest numbers have been killed in the Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand state and in the Tadoba tiger reserve in Maharashtra," said SP Yadav, deputy inspector general of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Yadav said it was not clear how many of these tigers were killed by poachers but it could be more than 50 per cent.

The rising demand in tiger parts in China and Southeast Asia has led to a rise in poaching in India's tiger reserves, Yadav said.

Conflict with villagers who live in the vicinity of the reserves also leads to the killing of tigers.

India, which has the world's highest recorded number of tigers, reported 1,706 living in the wild after a census in 2010. The next census is due in 2014.

The average number of tiger deaths per month was twice as high this year as in 2011, which saw 54 deaths in total.

"The situation is critical and we are taking several emergency measures," Yadav said.

All tiger deaths will now be treated as poaching unless proven otherwise, and an official from the conservation authority would attend each post mortem, Yadav said.

"We have launched a special drive in tiger reserves for intensive patrolling and a data from camera traps are being constantly monitored for any disappearances," Yadav said.

Source : Sapa