The Shiv Sena on Monday came down heavily on government authorities for killing man-eater Tigress 'Avni' and blamed the rampant intrusion into wildlife inhabited areas as the reason for 13 human deaths. They called for the adoption of adequate measures to avoid human-animal conflicts.
The issue was addressed in its editorial mouthpiece, Saamna.
"If one inserts his hand inside a snake's burrow, it is but natural that it will bite the person. The same is happening in the case of wild animals. Humans have intruded the space of tigers. Forests are being destroyed, hills are being broken. It has become difficult for tigers to live. After doing so much how can we expect any humanitarianism from tigers?" the write-up read.
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It further raised the issue of increasing residential colonies in, and around Borivali National Park and claimed that this was the reason why leopards enter colonies and even killed people at times.
The Shiv Sena asserted that instead of shooting animals, it is important for humans to be more disciplined.
In a strong statement, Thackeray Jr. said that instead of protecting the animals and forests from the poachers/trophy hunters, the government has got inspired by them.
Questioning the operation, he asked the Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar whether the tigress was shot from a 'machaan.' "If the expert hunter could get a perfect shot to kill a moving animal, then why did he choose not to tranquilise her?".
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He also demanded to know whether the shooter was practising killing animals and whether he can be prosecuted under the Wildlife Protection Act.
"As a family of wildlife lovers and conservationists, we were coordinating to stop this hunt, but did not speak publicly to avoid making it a political issue. The tigress could have been easily tranquilised and relocated. Today, it is Avni, tomorrow it will be her cubs and other tigers," Thackeray said.
In the wake of the incident, the party urged authorities to provide basic facilities of housing and sanitation to those who are forced to live under the constant fear of attack by wild animals.
The Shiv Sena also raised suspicion over the way Avni was killed and claimed that proper procedures were not followed. It alluded that dead bodies of only 6 out of the 13 people allegedly killed by the tigress were sent for post-mortem, and only 1 was actually found to be killed by a tiger.
The Shiv Sena also compared Avni's killing with the alleged mistreatment meted out to farmers. "If Avni can be termed a man-eater for reportedly killing 13 people, why isn't any government machinery being held responsible for the situation of drought, starvation, malnutrition which is leading to the death of farmers?" it questioned.
"Avni you were sacrificed for the greed of humans. In a state where even humans can't live properly, what do we say about wild animals like you? Avni, forgive us. You were killed cowardly," the party concluded.
On the debate of man-versus-animals conflict, he said that it was the duty of the government to end this conflict rather than kill the animals, hacking forest trees, even in Mumbai, in the name of improving infrastructure, and giving away 88 hectares of forest land for industrial use.
PETA India coordinator Meet Ashar termed Avni's killing as "illegally satisfying a hunter's lust for blood."
"This matter must be investigated and treated as a wildlife crime. Whether sanctioned by the state or not, nobody can be above law. This is a dark day for our nation," Ashar said.
Besides PILs in the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench), several wildlife groups and activists had strongly opposed plans to eliminate Avni.
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Avni, the tigress who was believed to be a man-eating tigress was killed on Friday by the Maharashtra Forest Department in Yavatmal. She was gunned down by sharp-shooter Asgar Ali in Maharashtra's Yavatmal on November 2.
(With Agency Inputs)
