For the last one week,?¡®Let Avni Live¡¯?hashtag and slogans have filled social media feeds as people took to streets to 'roar' in support of the wildcat. These mass protests are being organised throughout the country to protect a tigress ¡®Avni¡¯, which has been given a ¡®shoot on sight¡¯ order by the Maharashtra government.
Avni, called T1 by the government is a five-year-old tigress who is also a mother to a 2-month-old and a 9-month-old cub in the Pandharkawda forest, Ralegaon in the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra.
The tigress has been declared as a ¡®man-eater¡¯ by the state government?which has allegedly killed around thirteen human beings and a team of private hunters, horses and elephants have been sent inside the territory to shoot the animal on sight.
Photo: Twitter
However, animal lovers, activists and even the common public remain unconvinced as the evidence isn't suffice to declare the national animal as a ¡®man-eater¡¯. An animal lover and activist, Anand Siva spoke with Indiatimes about the irregularities of the case and cited commercialization as the major reason behind the intention of not only killing the animal but an attempt to wipe out the entire forest range as well.
When asked about the exact sequence of events, Siva said, ¡°Avni is just being a tigress. She occupies between 18 and 120 square kilometres?of the forest. The place naturally being a forest has a lot of biodiversity, trees and wildlife and that¡¯s where she is. It is the people who are walking into the forest, we are walking into her territory and calling her a ¡®man-eater¡¯.
¡°She is in her own territory and is not coming out in search of cattles or villagers.¡± he further added. A man doesn¡¯t sleep on railway tracks and highways because he knows that it is risky. If a man walks into the territory of a tiger knowing that isn¡¯t safe then should we blame the tiger or should we blame the man?"
Reportedly, around 13 bodies have been found inside the forest and all the deaths have been attributed to Avni alone. Siva points out the first irregularity by questioning why did the government conduct DNA tests only on 3 out of a total of 13 bodies?
Out of the 3 bodies that were tested, only one body showed the DNA marks of a tigress attack. The second showed the marks of a tiger attack. And the third was inconclusive. Therefore, according to the tests only one death can be attributed to a tigress killing.
Siva also informed that the bodies weren¡¯t found on the outskirts of the forest but right inside the jungle which clearly indicates that Avni didn¡¯t move out of her territory to specifically kill human beings. Moreover, all of these bodies were found with attacked cattle.
¡°This means people are using bridge and forest land as free fodder. They had no business taking their cattle into the forest. It is not happening because villagers can¡¯t afford food for cattles. A large number of cattle from neighbouring states including Gujarat are being brought here in thousand numbers to graze on forest land.¡±
Siva explained that the protests and campaigns were being carried out not only against the killing of one Avni tigress but the apathy of the government towards the wildlife, forests, environment and the fragile ecosystem.
Photo: Facebook/Let Avni Live
He demands that there is a need for common people to raise voice, raise questions. As people start asking more questions they will realize?the bigger picture behind this order. Anand informed that the entire forest area is very rich in limestone. ¡°Why are corporate?coming close to forests? Why is a very large cement industry coming near the forest land? The government is clearly marking the area for commercial purposes.¡± he said.
The forest has been under siege for the last ten days. Though, in the last 24 hours there has been no contact with the forest authorities so there is no idea what is happening inside the jungle. Large elephants were brought inside the forest to find Avni. They weren't properly measured by the specialists. ¡°An elephant ran into a woman and killed her and now the elephant is being blamed for the woman¡¯s death.¡± he said.?
The Maharashtra forest department is sacrificing so many lives only to prioritize?human lives.
Siva further questions that the government has spent a fortune on hiring a private hunter with advanced equipment?which could be used for repairing roads, curbing theft and burglary and other civic issues. Apparently, the government didn¡¯t conduct a SCAT analysis that tests faecal excreta of the tiger to ensure if human flesh was consumed by the animal or not.
Another interesting fact noted by the activist is that?majority of the deaths have taken place on the weekends; either a Saturday or a Sunday. ¡°The forest management might have taken the rules lightly on the weekend and perhaps allowed human beings inside the animal¡¯s territory,¡± he said.
Also, every time a human being was found attacked, it happened to take place in front of a trap camera only. ¡°How is that even remotely possible?¡± Siva asks. If the government is so sure of the days and timings of the killings then why is the team unable to find the wildcat for shooting?
Private hunter Nawab Shafaat Ali Khan from Hyderabad has reportedly been hired to shoot Avni. Ali Khan is infamously known for his grand history of animal killing including 250 Nilgai in Bihar, leopards as well as 53 wild boars apart from many other criminal offences.
Another important question here is why didn¡¯t the government order to tranquilise the animal first? Tranquilisation is a proper medical process that requires a qualified vet. It depends on the weight of the animal, blood pressure and many other factors. ¡°The fact that the government hired a private blood-seeking hunter who takes pleasure in killing wildlife clearly shows that their intention is to only kill.¡±
The activists are also fighting that the tigress shouldn¡¯t be moved out of the forest and caged as it might go into deep depression. Wild beasts like tigers suffer immense mental trauma when they are caged and given Avni has 5 to 8 years of mating life ahead, she can actually give birth to around 15 cubs in the future.
There is an urgent need to call upon fellow citizens from all around the globe to support 'Let Avni Live' campaign says Siva. First the ¡®Aarey¡¯ forest and now the Ralegaon jungle. Human beings need to understand that destroying forests will have an impact on the entire ecosystem. Conservation and Development can take place together where animals and people can co-exist in a peaceful manner otherwise in the next 20 years, we shall be showing forests to our future generations on YouTube.