Priyanka Tiwari
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Suspense crime, Digital Desk : In what conservationists are calling a "black day" for Karnataka's wildlife preservation efforts, a devastating fire has ripped through the Male Mahadeshwara (MM) Hills Tiger Reserve. This was not a natural disaster; officials believe it was a deliberate act of sabotage, allegedly carried out by the very people hired to protect the forest.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the conservation community, exposing a critical vulnerability in the management of India's protected areas. According to reports, the fire was intentionally set by a group of disgruntled temporary forest watchers. These individuals, who had been working on a temporary basis, were recently laid off, and the act is being viewed as a vengeful retaliation against the forest department.
At least 50 acres of pristine forest, a critical habitat for tigers and their prey, have been reduced to ash. Wildlife experts have expressed deep anguish, emphasizing that the timing of the fire—during the peak of summer—is catastrophic. The blaze has destroyed vital undergrowth and grasslands that support prey animals like deer and gaur.
Joseph Hoover, a prominent wildlife activist, lamented the tragedy, stating that such an event will have a severe, long-term impact on the tiger population. When the prey base is destroyed, tigers are forced to venture out of their territory in search of food, drastically increasing the chances of human-animal conflict in nearby villages.
This incident highlights a dangerous systemic issue: the reliance on a temporary, often underpaid, workforce for the critical task of forest protection. Activists argue that failing to provide permanent employment and job security to these frontline watchers creates a disgruntled and potentially dangerous element within the system.
This "black day" serves as a grim wake-up call. The future of tiger conservation in Karnataka, and indeed across India, depends not only on protecting forests from external threats but also on urgently addressing the internal administrative failures that can turn protectors into destroyers.
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