NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday said that there is no proof that Jai, Maharashtra’s biggest and most-famous tiger, is dead.
Seven-year-old Jai — named after Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s character in the 1975 hit film Sholay — has been missing from the Umred Karhandla wildlife sanctuary near Nagpur since April even as a search is on to trace him. There are apprehensions that poachers may have killed him.
“Till now, there is no evidence that the tiger is dead...The tiger could be alive, we have not declared it dead,” environment minister Anil Dave said in Lok Sabha in reply to a question.
Jai’s electronic collar stopped transmitting his location in April. The big cat became famous in September 2013 when it embarked on an epic 150 km hike from Nagzira-Navegaon tiger reserve to Umred forest after crossing several villages, rivers and the Mumbai-Kolkata national highway in pursuit of a mate.
Noting that there is a lot of demand for tiger parts in Southeast Asia and China, Mr Dave said a close watch is kept to ensure that no trade in tiger parts takes place and at times the help of Interpol is also sought,
