Mumbai: Defending the forest department’s decision to shoot down T1 tigress Avni, state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar stated that the action was taken as a last resort. Mr Mungantiwar further said that several efforts were taken to tranquillise the tigress, but they failed and she attacked officials.

Mr Mungantiwar in a statement said that hundreds of personnel from the forest department had been trying to capture the tigress alive since the last three months and that nobody from the department wanted to kill her.

“Ministers and secretaries do not sit in Mumbai and protect forest and animal species; farmers and Adivasis do so. In this case, there was a lot of unrest among them. We didn’t want them to eventually become the enemies of wildlife,” Mr Munganti-war said. He also said that Avni had to be shot down to save the lives of forest staff trying to tranquillise her.

He further said, “The right to kill wild species does not lie with my department, and the Centre and the Supreme Court have laid down stringent guidelines for the purpose. After following these guidelines and holding deliberations with the officials concerned, the principal chief conservator of forest gives the order to shoot an animal.”

Asked about the deceased tigress’ two cubs, Mr Mungantiwar said that they were now nearly 11 months old and capable of survival in the wild. “Yet, the forest department will ensure their upkeep,” he said.

The minister added that the government has been at the forefront of saving tigers on a war footing.