UDALGURI, Jan 3 - A nature organization, Aranya Suraksha Samiti and the Orang regional unit of the AJYCP and several other local organizations burnt the effigy of SK Daila, the District Forest Officer of Darrang district here on Saturday at Orang over the alleged indifferent attitude of the Forest department to protect the big cat (tigress) which was found dead at the Borobazar village under Rowta police station on Friday.
The nature organization alleged that the big cat became a victim of food poisoning and some unidentified elements took away three of its legs, the hind part of its skin and tail after its death. The social organizations also condemned the indifferent attitude of the Forest departments of Darrang and Udalguri districts and demanded the immediate transfer of the Darrang DFO.
Dipen Boro, adviser of the Udalguri district ABSU also condemned the negligence of the Forest department and said that the department was requested by the villagers to protect the life and property of the villagers from the havoc of the tiger but nothing was done. A protest programme of the nature organization was attended by Somesh Mahato, assistant genral secretary of the central committee of the Aranya Suraksha Samiti, Assam, Nayanjyoti Deka, assistant general secretary of the organization of the Udalguri district committee and Atul Nath, central executive member of Aranya Suraksha Samiti, Assam.
Our Kalaigaon Correspondent adds: Primary investigation has confirmed poisoning as the immediate cause of the death of the full-grown Royal Bengal tigress at Borobazar village near Rowta in the morning hours of January 2.
The tigress along with two four-month-old cubs had sneaked out from the Orang National Park in September, 2015. Unable to return to Orang NP due to thick human settlement, it was taking shelter in a small forest in Borobazar village in Udalguri district. Although Orang NP is closer to Rowta, but due to a tussle between the two district forest offices, no action to rehabilitate the tiger family could take place in the last three months.
The tigress had so far killed four cows, five goats and five pigs. Local villagers and ABSU officials had been requesting the Orang NP authority for the last two months to drive back the tigress along with the cubs, as it was becoming a menace in the villages. Dipen Boro, vice-president of the ABSU state committee, expressing sorrow over the death of the tigress, told this correspondent that the tigress along with cubs could have been driven back to Orang NP, had operations been launched by the Forest department in time. When contacted, the DFO, Dhansiri Forest Division, Udalguri district said that regular patrolling had been arranged in the last one month for the safety of the villagers and the tigress.
Nature-loving people of Udalguri and Darrang districts have expressed deep concern over the death of the tigress. The Udalguri District Journalists� Union in a press release, condemned the Forest departments of Darrang, Udalguri and Orang for the death of the tigress and urged them to take measures to rescue the orphaned cubs.
