Bhubaneswar: Animal rights activists Sunday gathered at Lower PMG here to join the global protest demanding action against the killing of Avni, a young tigress, in Maharashtra.
The protesters said the killing of Avni was in violation of a Supreme Court order which mandates securing her 11-month old cubs before attempting to tranquilise her for rehabilitation. The alleged violation, killing by a hired hunter and an alleged design to cover the fact that tranquilisation was not even attempted, have angered the animal lovers and activists.
The protest was organised in 25 cities across the country and 10 cities internationally.
In the city here, members of Animal Welfare Trust Ekamra (AWTE) and other animal lovers organised a rally and candlelight vigil to express their disapproval.
Purabi Patra of AWTE said, “It is a global protest against the killing of Avni, a young tigress which inhabited in the forests of Ralegaon in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra. Thirteen human corpses from villages adjoining the forests were all “unreasonable” and based on purposeful circumstantial evidence attributed to Avni – a matter that has been disputed for long by activists.”
The protesters demanded a fair probe by an independent panel from outside the state into the situation, starting from the time evidence was mounted to declare Avni a maneater to the circumstances under which the brutal killing was done. They further asked for recovery and security of her two cubs.
Tanuja Sethi, an animal lover and fashion designer, said, “It is human greed like deforestation in the name of urbanisation and development. Every species on this earth belong to their habitat and humans are destroying all other habitats by encroaching upon it. So, it’s just a reaction from other species for their own survival.”
“Bengal Tigers are an endangered species on International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and are protected. However, every year more and more tigers fall prey to human greed. Tigers like other wildlife are important to the ecosystem. With a meagre 2,265 Bengal Tigers left in the world, they need protection,” she added.