After 3 Brutal Tiger Killings, Tigress in Odisha Tranquilised

This news comes after Tigress Avni was shot dead on 2 November in Maharashtra, which invited much flak nationwide.

Image used for representational purposes only.

(Photo: Harsh Sahani/The Quint)

Tigress Sundari, who had killed a 65-year-old in Odisha's Satkosia Tiger Reserve in October, was tranquilised on Tuesday, 6 November.

This news comes after nationwide anger on Tigress Avni's killing, who was shot dead late on 2 November after having reportedly killed 13 people since 2016.

People expressed their anger and questioned lack of attempts to tranquilise the tigress before killing her.

The Supreme Court earlier had directed that Tigress Avni could only be shot if she attacks first.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, in a series of tweets later, lashed out at the Maharashtra government for giving the orders to kill her despite opposition from several stakeholders.

Two days after Avni's killing, another tiger was crushed to death with a tractor by villagers in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh. The tiger was killed after it allegedly mauled a 50-year-old man, who later succumbed to his injuries.

In another incident, a decomposed carcass of a tiger was found near Odisha's Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary on 28 October, following which a group of poachers were arrested. A four-member team of Special Task Force wildlife, led by DSP Bilasini Nayak, started inquiry into the death on 5 November.

All these cases happened in span of a week, leaving a sense of anger among activists, experts and people in general over the avoidable killings of these animals.