BHOPAL: This is a whodunnit thriller in the deep forests of Panna Tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh,
which was once declared as tiger extinct. Panic buttons were pressed
over the wiping out of big cats by poachers. Tigers were relocated to
Panna to replenish the reserve. And it was then that a big cat love
story was born with a twist in the tail.
In 2011, forest officials were euphoric after four cubs were born to an imported tigress. The reserve was back on the tiger map. It was thought that a trans-located tiger had sired the cubs. But now the ghost of Panna returned after DNA analyses of the cubs proved they were fathered by a tiger, who had been butchered by poachers in 2009. If he was officially dead, then how did he father the cubs?
These four cubs - that gave the state government a reason to cheer after years of infamy - were credited to the account of an introduced tiger T3, the 'hero' of PTR's success story. He had created a record of fathering 19 cubs. Now, his historic record will have to be rewritten - Hero of 15.
The matter came to light after a DNA test conducted by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. Scientists traced DNA samples of these four cubs to a big cat 'originally' living in Panna before the sudden disappearance of tigers in 2009.
The test was carried out on the suggestion of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, to assess the genetic diversity and 'paternity assessment of reintroduced tigers in Panna'.
Accordingly, DNA samples of trans-located tiger cubs were collected and matched with a male tiger (T3), which was introduced after 2009.
"We were able to obtain evidence that four cubs were not sired by the introduced male T3. Genetic evidence indicated they were sired by one of the original and probably still existing Panna tigers," reads a letter by CCMB to WII. Copy of this letter was accessed through RTI by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey.
Several samples which included translocated tigers were subjected to a stringent analysis, during which samples of the four cubs matched with the sample of tiger collected in 2006, said sources.
No tigers were found in Panna Reserve in the 2009 census carried out by the state forest department. Reports said there were more than 20 tigers in 2006.
"The news of cubs being sired by ghost tigers may embarrass the PTR staff. They should now be happy that at least one of the missing tiger is back," said Dubey.
Shifted from Pench in November 2009 to the reserve after it lost all its big cats, T3- the lone male tiger lorded over its area with a privilege of being able to choose from four trans-located tigresses. A few days after being shifted to Panna, the homesick tiger had started moving in the direction of Pench, about 400 km away, showing disinterest in the two trans-located females (T1 and T2).
In 2011, forest officials were euphoric after four cubs were born to an imported tigress. The reserve was back on the tiger map. It was thought that a trans-located tiger had sired the cubs. But now the ghost of Panna returned after DNA analyses of the cubs proved they were fathered by a tiger, who had been butchered by poachers in 2009. If he was officially dead, then how did he father the cubs?
These four cubs - that gave the state government a reason to cheer after years of infamy - were credited to the account of an introduced tiger T3, the 'hero' of PTR's success story. He had created a record of fathering 19 cubs. Now, his historic record will have to be rewritten - Hero of 15.
The matter came to light after a DNA test conducted by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. Scientists traced DNA samples of these four cubs to a big cat 'originally' living in Panna before the sudden disappearance of tigers in 2009.
The test was carried out on the suggestion of Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, to assess the genetic diversity and 'paternity assessment of reintroduced tigers in Panna'.
Accordingly, DNA samples of trans-located tiger cubs were collected and matched with a male tiger (T3), which was introduced after 2009.
"We were able to obtain evidence that four cubs were not sired by the introduced male T3. Genetic evidence indicated they were sired by one of the original and probably still existing Panna tigers," reads a letter by CCMB to WII. Copy of this letter was accessed through RTI by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey.
Several samples which included translocated tigers were subjected to a stringent analysis, during which samples of the four cubs matched with the sample of tiger collected in 2006, said sources.
No tigers were found in Panna Reserve in the 2009 census carried out by the state forest department. Reports said there were more than 20 tigers in 2006.
"The news of cubs being sired by ghost tigers may embarrass the PTR staff. They should now be happy that at least one of the missing tiger is back," said Dubey.
Shifted from Pench in November 2009 to the reserve after it lost all its big cats, T3- the lone male tiger lorded over its area with a privilege of being able to choose from four trans-located tigresses. A few days after being shifted to Panna, the homesick tiger had started moving in the direction of Pench, about 400 km away, showing disinterest in the two trans-located females (T1 and T2).
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