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Young Yuvaraj ‘falls to bullets’ of poachers

JAIPUR: Yuvaraj would never be the king of the Ranthambhore forests for he is suspected to have fallen to the bullets of the poachers. The three-year-old male tiger, who was seemingly gripped by wanderlust, had been missing from the National Park for about two months and is now feared dead. The forest authorities have arrested two members of the traditional hunting community, the Mogyas, in this connection. They have reportedly confessed to the crime.

The news about the fallen prince has come at a time when the Rajasthan Forest authorities are gloating over the “population explosion” among tigers in the Ranthambhore National Park. There has also been talk about re-locating some of the tigers from Ranthambhore to the Sariska Tiger Sanctuary in Alwar, which had lost all its tigers to poachers some time in 2004.

Yuvaraj has been among the half a dozen tiger cubs reported playing truant from the Park lately creating terror in the minds of both the human and cattle population outside and giving sleepless nights to the forest authorities entrusted with their safety.

In the case of Yuvaraj, the authorities had placed a reward of Rs.1,100 for anyone providing information on his whereabouts.

The Park authorities are convinced that a male tiger had been poached from the forests in Indergarh in Sawai Madhopur district in November though it is not yet fully established that the animal was Yuvaraj as there were no seizures made in this connection. The two Mogyas -- Raswaroop of Umri village in Gangapur town and Ramprasad of Makhida in Lakheri tehsil -- have pleaded being forcibly inducted into the gang, which poached on the young tiger.

“The situation will be clear only when we lay our hands on the main accused who is missing. We are yet to seize the gun used for the killing of the tiger as well as any remnants of the animal,” said Assistant Conservator of Forests Sudarshan Sharma talking to this correspondent on phone from Ranthambhore.

In fact, Yuvaraj’s first foray into the world outside the forests in 2006 to Bundi district earned him the title of “Prince” from the people of Bundi who admired the young animal’s elegance. After his return to Ranthambhore the name struck.

This year Yuvaraj ventured out of the Ranthambhore woods once again presumably in the second week of November.

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