K’taka forest officials accused of negligence

TEAM HERALD
BELGAUM: Killing of the man-eater tiger by Karnataka’s forest department last month has now raked up a controversy, as activists from different arenas have condemned the Karnataka forest officials for handling the issue rather negligently.
While the green activists blamed the officials for killing the tiger that perhaps could have been saved by rehabilitation, an RTI activist from Belgaum district has sought details about the killing.
Addressing a news conference on Monday, Bhimappa Gadad, an RTI activist from Gokak, has blamed the forest officials for releasing the tiger from Chikkamagalur district to Bhimgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, where it claimed the life of a woman apart from causing damage to livestock in the villages in the sanctuary.
“Forest officials have observed sheer negligence while handling the whole issue carelessly. After capturing the tiger from Pandarvalli forests of Chikkamagalur district, without any prior arrangements the wild cat was released near villages bordering the sanctuary, violating all the norms,” stated Gadad.
Gadad stated that he has sought entire information in the entire episode so that probe could be conducted and action needs to be initiated in case of any negligence observed.
It may be recalled that Goan forest authorities had reportedly offered their assistance to their Karnataka counterparts in tranquilising and rehabilitating the slain tiger, however, the assistance was not accepted by forest officials of Karnataka.