Lab reports confirm poisoning of tigers and elephant at sanctuary; forest dept launches probe

CHAMARAJANAGAR: In a curious turn of events, the forest department has launched an investigation into the death of two tigers and an elephant, in Bandipur Tiger Reserve, following a lab report from Coimbatore. The incident was reported in January. According to the sources, the animals were killed by mixing poison in the river.
Speaking to ToI, Punati Sridhar, PCCF confirmed that the wild animals were poisoned. “The report we received from a lab in Coimbatore confirmed the poisoning. The department will investigate the incident,” he said.

It can be recalled that on January 25, the forest department authorities had recovered the dead bodies of two tigers and a female elephant from the Bandipur Tiger Reserve of the Gopala Swamy Betta (G S Betta) region. The carcass samples were sent to three laboratories. Even though two lab reports were negative for the alleged poisoning, the third report has pointed towards foul play. Based on the findings, the forest department has launched the investigation.

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