PIONEEREDGE NEWS SERVICE | Haldwani
A hunter’s snare stuck around a tigress’ abdomen for about four years now might be removed soon, if the Forest department succeeds in this challenging task. The already challenging task has been made harder by the fact that the tigress has cubs which pose a hindrance to the action the foresters usually take in such a situation.
A tigress in the Terai East forest division has been moving around a metal snare which is affecting her health seriously now. The Forest department is now once again preparing a plan to rid the big cat of the snare she has been suffering from for some years now.
According to officials, a snare believed to be made of an iron wire was first seen on the big cat’s abdomen in 2021. The constriction caused by the snare has narrowed down the body part of the tigress though she is still apparently fit enough to mate and give birth to cubs. In the initial phase, the tigress weighed less and so the actual impact of the snare was not that visible but as she matured and gained weight, the impact of the snare has become alarmingly evident. Officials state that the photo of the tigress with a snare around her upper abdomen went viral on social media about three years ago. The Forest department team has been monitoring the tigress regularly since then. The tigress is fit, capable of hunting and rearing her cubs. The department had planned to immobilise the tigress and remove the snare in the past but the plan was dropped due to the presence of her cubs. The tigress currently has three cubs who are about 1.5 years old. It is expected that the cubs will leave the tigress and go independent in the near future, after which the department will conduct an operation to remove the snare following necessary permission. Meanwhile, camera traps have also been installed in the territory of the tigress to monitor her, officials said.
