How was Avni killed? Vets not convinced by Asghar’s retelling

MASINAGUDI: Shafath Ali shares a letter dated October 6, 2018 from the chief conservator of forests, Yavatmal, which states that he and his team, which includes Ali Khanand golfer Jyoti Randhawa, were allowed to shoot T1 in selfdefence if tranquillising efforts failed.

According to Asghar, golfer Randhawa was involved in the operation because he has Cane Corso (Italian Mastiff) dogs that could sniff out the tigress if she is in the bushes. “On the evening of November 2, veterinarians and officials had left. My father was in Patna. It was market day so a lot of local people were there. Suddenly we got information that T1 has been spotted. Dr Kadu of the forest department had already filled the tranquilliser gun before leaving. So a few of us immediately rushed to the spot,” says Ali Khan.

When they saw Avni, the forester says he shot the dart. “It hit perfectly. But the dart takes about 15 to 20 minutes to start acting. She immediately turned at us and tried to leap towards the person in the back seat of our open jeep. That’s when I shot her because I knew she would kill us all. That’s why the bullet hit her side.”

But veterinarians say it’s impossible that she was charging towards the shooter when she was shot because the bullet hit her left side.

Ali Khan says the fact that her stomach was empty shows that the terrain is not suitable for tigers. “There is zero prey base for them. T2, the male tiger who is father of T1’s cubs and the cubs are potential man-eaters now. The cubs used to roam with the mother. There will be problems in Yavatmal again.”