Madikeri: The carcass of an around eight-year-old tiger, found with a snare around its neck, was discovered in a coffee estate belonging to Kechchetira Dickey Appaiah at Chettalli village (Cherala-Srimangala, Kodagu) yesterday morning.

Forest officials suspect that the tiger died after struggling for nearly two days to free itself from the snare. The carcass was noticed by estate labourers when they arrived for work and was immediately reported to the estate owner, who in turn informed Forest Department officials.

Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Abhishek, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) A.A. Gopal, Range Forest Officer (RFO) Rakshit, veterinarians Dr. Mujeeb and Dr. Sanjeev R. Shinde, Meenukolli Deputy RFO Sachin Limbalkar, Beat Forest Guard Nagaraju, members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), and other forest staff visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Chettalli Assistant Sub-Inspector Dinesh and staff, along with the Dog Squad, also examined the scene.

A spot mahazar was conducted, after which the carcass was shifted to the Anekadu forest area, where a post-mortem examination was carried out. The carcass was later cremated as per protocol. Forest officials said the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem report is received.

Forest Minister meeting

Meanwhile, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, who is in Belagavi attending the legislative session, took serious note of the incident and held a meeting with Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Meenakshi Negi, Chief Wildlife Warden P.C. Ray, and Principal Secretary Manoj Kumar.

Assuring strict action against those responsible for the tiger’s death, the Minister said special teams would be formed across the State to regularly monitor forest fringes and conduct searches for snares in villages bordering forest areas.

He issued directions to raise public awareness about the dangers of snares and instructed officials to remove snares installed on farmlands along forest fringes and to educate local communities about the legal consequences if wildlife is killed due to such traps.