“The decision to keep the three orphaned cubs of the Jhurjhura tigress, killed on May 19 by a rashly driven vehicle inside the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve, in an enclosure at the same spot where they had been found as they were familiar with the area was taken during the visit of member secretary of National Tiger Conservation Authority to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on May 31 and June 1.”
This has been pointed out in a letter written to Mr Rajesh Gopal, the member secretary of NTCA by the field director, Bandhagarh Tiger Reserve, Chandrakant Patil on Thursday. In his letter, sent after one of the orphaned cubs was found dead, Mr Patil has said that the area is hilly and due to this reason it was difficult to put up a chainlink fence. This is also a favourite spot of tigers because of the presence of large number of caves in the area.
A 3-kilometre-long Chainlink fencing was prepared to enclose about 45.208 hectare area. A machan (watch tower) was also constructed near the Jhurjhura pond and the cubs were given feed near this place. After the commencement of monsoon, the cubs were not visiting this place regularly since July 27. They were, however, seen near a cave on July 28 morning by Mahaout (elephant rider) Ramzan and Jannu along with beat guard Gohadi.
Mr Patil has further said in his letter that on August 6 at about 8.30 pm, the range officer, Tala, informed him that he had seen some bones within the enclosed area and was wondering whether or not these were the bones of a tiger cub.
The next morning, they reached the spot where the bones had been sighted.