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After human deaths continued, the order was to tranquillise the tigress and shoot-at-sight only as a last resort, says A.K. Misra, who sanctioned the kill Avni, the tigress of Pandharkwada, was shot dead by sharp-shooter Asghar Ali Khan on the spur of the moment, said A.K. Misra, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) of Maharashra who sanctioned the kill. “Asghar Ali Khan shot Avni because she just happened to be there. It was not planned. It was sheer coincidence and misfortune,” Mr. Misra told The Hindu on Sunday. The big cat was shot dead on November 2 in a forest in Yavatmal district. “It is such a remote possibility that the tigress you have been searching for months just appears in front of you in the night. “Human deaths started in 2016 but the proposal to kill her came after a sequence of events. After three incidents of death a sequence is established and then the PCCF is satisfied whether to shoot or capture. So, the order was issued not to shoot but to capture,” said Mr. Misra. “Last September the order was to capture her and this stood till January but in the end of January, deaths continued. So an order to tranquillise her and if the situation arose to shoot at sight was given.” Then on September 11, hunter Nawab Shafat Ali Khan arrived with his son Asghar.
Mr. Asghar said, “On November 2, we were on patrol the whole day. We had got some images on the camera of T1 (Avni). The tracking team, the vet team, myself and two persons who could identify the tigress followed the camera feed, and the pug marks.” “At 3.45 p.m., the forester who could identify her saw her for a fraction of a second, and then she disappeared. We followed the pug marks but with the lantana bushes it was tough,” said Mr. Khan. “We reported to the forest team around 6.30 p.m. at a bazaar in Ralegaon,” said Mr. Asghar. “Then we got a call saying the tigress was very close to the road where two killings had been reported,” he said. “The forest team and I reached the spot. There were many bikers there… We ensured that all vehicles and people were off that road,” said Mr. Asghar. “We continued our patrol, and she came out right in front of the vehicle.” The forester shot the dart from 20 m. “By then she had crossed the road and come to the other end of the road. The dart hit her on the rear leg,” said Mr. Asghar. Avni roared and went inside the bushes. Then in a fraction of a second she came back and started charging at the person who was holding the spotlight. “I was sitting on the seat next to the driver. She was very close to me and was charging towards the spotlight, so I took out the gun and fired. It was my duty to save my team. The distance would be around 5 to 6 m,” said Mr. Asghar. “The situation went out of control within a fraction of a second. We were all very disappointed,” he said.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/killing-of-avni-was-a-spur-of-the-moment-decision-says-forest-official/article25471411.ece
