Capture Tiger T23 alive, Madras HC orders Tamil Nadu forest department

A tiger, coded T23, has been responsible for the death of four humans and around 20 cattle in the Gudalur-Mudumalai Forest Range in Nilgiris.The fourth human death had prompted chief conservator Shekar Kumar Niraj (IFS) to release an order to hunt down the tiger on 1 October. However, on Tuesday, a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesavalu heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Chennai-based animal rights group People for Cattle in India (PFCI) and ordered the forest department to not "hunt down" the tiger, citing that it may not be a man-eater.The News Minute reported that court further ordered the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests to utilise fewer people on the ground as part of this operation as frequent human movement would cause disturbance and pose a threat to other wildlife. Justice CJ Sanjib Banerjee also emphasised that the tiger must be caught alive as there are already few tigers in India.The Bench has said that the forest department is free to deal with T23 for its treatment and for ascertaining its conduct and behaviour.The Madras HC adjourned the case after Dussehra holidays, pending a detailed status report from the Tamil Nadu government.Search intensifiesOn Monday, the efforts to search for T23 were intensified by deploying two tuskers on the field — Srinivas and Udayan from the Theppakadu Elephant Camp, reported The Hindu.Warden Niraj, who has been camping at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) for the last few days, is at the forefront of the operation, which entered the ninth day today. Logistical support from neighboring forest division in Kerala, a sniffer dog from Karnataka, camera traps, drones etc have been deployed to track the elusive tiger. Deputy Director of the MTR (core), Bhosale Sachin Thukkaram, said the search radius was expanded to Masinagudi and Singara, though the tiger was not spotted since Sunday. The Hindu reported that a resident of a village told Forest Department officials on Sunday evening that she heard the animal growl from a nearby abandoned quarry.As per The New Indian Express, since the capture and rescue operation was launched, due to multiple factors like unfavourable terrain and climatic conditions, the teams were unable to tranquilise the animal despite spotting it on multiple occasions. "We took a shot at it once, but the tiger managed to escape. The behaviour of the tiger has changed and it has become very aggressive due to the ongoing operation and human presence. It's very difficult to carry out the operation when there is an uncontrollable mob surrounding the place."An insight into the PILThe News Minute further reported that The PFCI, in its PIL, alleged that the order by Niraj was not in consonance with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines.The NTCA is a statutory body for the protection and conservation of tigers that issues advisories and guidelines to forest authorities in a timely manner.The PIL stated that according to the NTCA guidelines, tigers would use agriculture or sugarcane fields to hunt their prey and that such visits might also cause lethal encounters with humans, and that "such animals should not be declared as dangerous to human life."The petitioner alleged that there was no evidence that T23 was stalking human beings habitually and avoiding natural prey. It also alleged that the forest officials, due to their inability to catch the animal alive, have ordered to hunt it down.The order to kill, is it legal?The order was given under Section 11 (1) (a) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which gives the Chief Warden the authority to issue orders to kill or hunt any animal falling under Schedule 1 of the Act (including tigers), if it poses danger to human life.The preparation on groundAccording to The News Minute nearly 60 forest officials divided into five teams, five doctors, one drone, 25 camera traps (mobile camera), one net gun, one pepper gun, three sniffer dogs and seven tranquiliser guns are put in place to capture the elusive tiger in the thick forest cover between Masinagudi and Theppakadu in Tamil Nadu.