Veterinary Council of India claims only a registered veterinary doctor can administer tranquilliser, a rule that was not followed in Avni’s case.
New Delhi: Amid the controversy surrounding the killing of tigress Avni, a government body has questioned the breach of veterinary laws in the operation.
Tigress Avni or T1, as she was referred to, was shot dead last Saturday by the son of a controversial Hyderabad-based hunter, Nawab Shafat Ali Khan, who was hired by the Maharashtra forest department for the operation to capture the tigress.
According to the forest department, Avni allegedly killed 13 people, eight of them tribals, in the Pandharkawada-Ralegaon forest of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district since 2016.
Also Read: Tigress Avni death probe an ‘eyewash’ — man in charge reports to Maharashtra forest minister
What the veterinary body says
Now, the Veterinary Council of India — a statutory body which regulates veterinary practice in India — has highlighted the alleged violations in a letter addressed to the Maharashtra State Veterinary Council.
In the letter dated 9 November, the VCI secretary has asked the Maharashtra State Veterinary Council to examine the matter of Avni’s killing on priority, and “take necessary action” to ensure the implementation of the Indian Veterinary Council Act, 1984.
The VCI, which comes under the ministry of agriculture, has highlighted Section 30(B) of the Act, which mandates a registered veterinary practitioner alone can give sedative of any kind to tranquillise an animal — a rule which was not followed in the killing of tigress Avni.
Just days ago, an apex veterinary association called the Pashu Chikatsak Mahasangh – whose letter has been attached by the VCI – too had questioned the absence of the veterinary doctor in the operation, calling it “a willful breach of law”.
“Even though the order mentions that there are two veterinarians in his team, reports from the field indicate that neither of them was present during this operation, and allowing Ali (the hunter) to operate in this manner is a willful breach of the law,” the veterinary association alleged in the letter written Tuesday.
“The whole exercise, as reported, seems to be extremely unscientific and illegally conducted,” the body claims.
The tigress, who is survived by two 10-month old cubs, was believed to have killed 13 people in the past two years.
Among other things, the operation came under scrutiny because it was carried out after sunset – even though the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Guidelines prohibit darting after sunset.
The shooting was carried out by a private hunter’s son – Ashgar Ali Khan – who was not authorised to shoot the tigress.
The Maharashtra forest department has maintained that tigress Avni was shot in self-defence – a claim which too has come under scrutiny after the postmortem reports of the slain tigress have suggested otherwise.
Also Read: Autopsy of tigress Avni suggests foul play, discredits self-defence theory