Endangered Young Indian Bengal Tiger Single Mother Avni: Fatal Ambush

Summary: Contradictory, missing, non-existent evidence hides why Maharashtrans harmed, not helped, a young Indian Bengal tiger single mother Nov. 2, 2018.

Avni with her two 10-month-old cubs, photographed by Maharashtra Forest Department camera trap: NDTV ‏@ndtv via Facebook Nov. 3, 2018

Contradictions abound in the antecedents to, and the aftermath of, the ambush assassination of a young Indian Bengal tiger single mother of two dependent cubs within her home range Nov. 2, 2018.

The young Indian Bengal tiger single mother Avni breathed her last at 11 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time) from a "big red hole." Principal Chief Conservator of Forests A.K. Mishra communicated to The Indian Express newspaper a forest staffer's claim to centering a tranquilizer dart on Avni's left side. The absentee official declared, "But she charged at the team, forcing Ashgar [Ali Khan] to shoot in self-defense. The tigress lay dead in a single shot."

Saman Javed of the Independent online Nov. 3, 2018, estimated a 26.25- to 32.81-foot (8- to 10-meter) distance between Avni and executioners outside Borati, Maharashtra state.

Jeffrey Gettleman, Hari Kumar and Rai Schultz of The New York Times Nov. 3, 2018, fit men's cologne and tiger urine into factors that felled Avni.

American fashion designer Calvin Klein's Obsession generates catnip-like reactions from Felidae cat family members through musky synthetic civetone guarding civet (Viverridae ferret-like family) scent gland-like musk. The hit team hurried Avni's body away from the Yavatmal area to an autopsy in the Gorewada rescue center, Najpur, Mahrashtra state, west-central India, and cremation. Villagers imparting "joy when they heard about her death, shooting off firecrackers, passing out sweets and pumping their fists in the air" undoubtedly intimidated Avni's orphans.

One of her nine- to 10-month-olds journeyed Nov. 3, 2018, to a hill near the violent death site of young Indian Bengal tiger single mother Avni.

Online images kindle ages two years younger and weights 88.18 pounds (40 kilograms) leaner than mismatched information of Avni as a 374.78-pound (170-kilogram) five- to six-year-old.

Sexually mature three- to four-year-old females and four- to five-year-old males lack 94.49- to 104.33-inch (240- to 265-centimeter) and 106.29- to 122.05-inch (270- to 310-centimeter) lengths. Still somewhat physically immature like Avni, they manifest neither 35.43- to 43.31-inch (90- to 110-centimeter) paw-shoulder heights nor 33.46- to 43.31-inch (85- to 110-centimeter) tail lengths. They still net less than 220.46- to 352.74-pound (100- to 160-kilogram) female and 396.83- to 568.79-pound (180- to 258-kilogram) male weights and 59.65-mile (96-kilometer) hourly speeds.

Ninety-eight- to 110-day gestations November to April occasion blind, deaf, woolly 27.51- to 56.44-ounce (780- to 1,600-gram) newborns, milk-toothed three-week-olds, weaned six-month-olds, 18-month-old hunters, independent three-year-olds.

Bulldozers, elephants, heat-sensing drones, paragliders, poisoned carcasses, sharpshooters, sniffer dogs and 24-7 camera and treetop surveillance produced one human, one tiger and massive non-target wildlife casualties.

Forest, grassland and jungle barking, spotted and swamp deer; bison; boars; gray langurs; hares; peafowls; porcupines; rabbits; serow and takin goat-antelopes; water buffaloes qualify as casualties. Bombay High, and India Supreme, Court shoot-on-sight versus tranquilize-and-kill rulings; multi-shot side, not single-shot frontal, wounds; unfired tranquilizer dart inserted after Avni's death remain among contradictions. Online sources that suggest 12, 13 or 14 casualties, unspecified other than a female June 2016 and cattle-herding Vaghuji Kanadhari Raut August 2018, seem similarly contradictory.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature terms as critically endangered the subcontinent's 1,706-member population further trimmed by terminating young Indian Bengal tiger single mother Avni.

An autopsy revealed that, according to her empty stomach, Avni had starved for at least four days before she was killed: ScoopWhoop ‏@ScoopWhoop via Facebook Nov. 3, 2018

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Avni with her two 10-month-old cubs, photographed by Maharashtra Forest Department camera trap: NDTV ‏@ndtv via Facebook Nov. 3, 2018, https://www.facebook.com/ndtv/photos/a.110271035797/10157113148065798/

An autopsy revealed that, according to her empty stomach, Avni had starved for at least four days before she was killed: ScoopWhoop ‏@ScoopWhoop via Facebook Nov. 3, 2018, @ https://www.facebook.com/Scoopwhoop/posts/1002268443315582

For further information:

AFP. 3 November 2018. "Man-Eating Tiger Shot Dead in India After Massive Hunt." The Guardian > World > Asia.
Available @ https://guardian.ng/news/man-eating-tiger-shot-dead-in-india-after-massive-hunt/

Agence France-Presse. 3 November 2018. "Man-Eating Tiger Shot Dead in India After High-Profile Hunt." The Guardian > News > World > India.
Available @ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/03/man-eating-tiger-shot-dead-in-india-after-high-profile-hunt

Agence France-Presse. 3 November 2018. "Man-Eating Tiger Shot Dead in India After Massive Hunt, But Details of Killing Disputed." South China Morning Post > Asia > South Asia.
Available @ https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/2171551/man-eating-tiger-shot-dead-india-after-massive-hunt-details

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Available @ https://naijahope.com/2018/11/03/man-eating-tiger-shot-dead-in-india-after-massive-hunt/

Bianca Seidman ‏@BiancaCS. 16 October 2018. "A Bengal tiger has been blamed for 13 human deaths in India. She's eluded capture in a hunt that's included elephants, drones and . . . cologne? The government calls her T1, activists say she's a mother of two cubs and call her Avni." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/BiancaCS/status/1052298145714106368

Brokaw, Sommer. 3 November 2018. "Tiger Suspected of Killing 13 Short Dead in India." UPI > Top News > World News.
Available @ https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2018/11/03/Tiger-suspected-of-killing-13-shot-dead-in-India/7381541258355/

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Available @ http://oldredlist.iucnredlist.org/details/136899/0

Javed, Saman. 3 November 2018. "Tigress Shot Dead After 'Killing 13 People' in India." Independent > News > World > Asia.
Available @ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/tiger-man-eating-hunt-13-killed-india-maharashtra-forest-a8615806.html

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Available @ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/man-eating-tiger-shot-dead-in-india-after-massive-hunt/ar-BBPi4IH?OCID=ansmsnnews11

NDTV ‏@ndtv. 3 November 2018. "Tigress Avni shot dead, many unanswered questions – by @SwatiWild http://goo.gl/uARvo5." Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/ndtv/photos/a.110271035797/10157113148065798/

NDTV ‏@ndtv. 3 November 2018. "Tigress Avni shot dead, many unanswered questions – by @SwatiWild http://goo.gl/uARvo5." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/ndtv/status/1058756427391557632

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ScoopWhoop ‏@ScoopWhoop. 3 November 2018. "Avni who was shot dead has two 10-month-old cubs that are now left without any protection." Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/Scoopwhoop/posts/1002268443315582

Thiyagarajan, Swati. 3 November 2018. "Tigress Avni Shot Dead, Many Unanswered Questions." NDTV > Blog.
Available @ https://www.ndtv.com/blog/tigress-avni-shot-dead-many-unanswered-questions-1942441

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