Sariska tiger dies after tranquilization

Jaipur: A tiger, popularly known as ST – 16, died after he was tranquilized at Sariska tiger reserve situated in Alwar district of Rajasthan. The tiger was wounded, so a forest department team tranquilized him for treatment. He didn’t gain consciousness. The forest department declared him dead.

It was yet unclear whether there was any negligence on part of the tranquilization team; however, wildlife activists demanded a probe and a strict action against responsible officials if the tiger died due to overdose of tranquilizing agents.

The wildlife activists criticized the incident which became yet another blog on the image of Sariska tiger reserve. The reports of the deaths of tigers in Sariska in human-animal conflicts, poaching and territorial fights have already brought a bad name to this famous tiger sanctuary of Rajasthan, situated nearly 120 km from Jaipur.

A senior forest department officer told The PinkCity Post that what caused the tiger’s death is under investigation.

“It will be too early to say that he might have died of the overdose. There could be another reason. The body of the tiger has been sent for a post-mortem examination. We are awaiting the report. We will take appropriate action if any negligent is found on part of the team that tranquilized the tiger,” said the officer.

Famous tiger of Sariska tiger reserve – popularly known as ST-4 – was found dead in December last year. The tiger had been injured in a territorial fight with ST-6 a few weeks ago. ST-4 was kept in an enclosure after the fight but he died allegedly of hunger. Tigress ST-5 and tiger ST-11 were poached in February 2018 and March 2018 respectively. Wildlife experts accused reserve authorities of negligence.