Bengaluru, 27 June

BJP Karnataka president BY Vijayendra on Friday demanded that the team probing the death of a tigress and her four cubs at Male Mahadeshwara Hills swiftly uncover the truth and arrest the culprits, after officials confirmed they were found dead in the Hugyam forest range.

Condemning the incident that occurred on Thursday, Vijayendra urged the investigation team constituted by the Karnataka government to quickly establish the facts and bring those responsible to justice.

"The news of the death of five tigers, including a tigress, at the sacred hills of Male Mahadeshwara—a place where the tiger is revered as the vehicle of the deity—is extremely shocking, inhumane, and has deeply distressed the minds of devotees. If the cause of death is poisoning, it is a most heinous and condemnable act," he said in a post on 'X'.

According to officials, the discovery of a seemingly stale carcass of a cow near the spot has strengthened suspicion that the deaths were caused by "poisoning". It is suspected that the miscreants poisoned the cow, and after consuming it, the tigress and her cubs died.

Demanding strict action against those responsible, Vijayendra also stressed the need to launch awareness programmes among people living along forest fringes to promote wildlife and forest conservation.

"The awareness that 'the survival of the human race depends on the protection of wildlife' needs to spread further. The government must initiate a widespread awareness campaign, emphasising that every wild animal is a friend of human society and a national treasure," he said.

"In particular, the tiger population is a matter of pride and identity for Karnataka's forests. The responsibility of tiger conservation lies with all of us," he added.

Vijayendra further stated that the government must implement special priority programmes using central schemes for tiger protection, while also ensuring special attention is given to their safety and conservation.

Karnataka has the second-highest tiger population in the country, with 563 big cats, after Madhya Pradesh, which has 785, according to the Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India 2022 report released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).