U'khand forest min statement on tiger deaths sparks row

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand's forest minister Subodh Uniyal's statement on Monday -- relating the death of one dozen tigers in a span of just five months in the state to untimely deaths in human beings -- irked many.

The statement by Uniyal on the increased number of tiger deaths has not gone down well with the conservationists, who say that the angle of poaching shouldn't be ignored by the minister and the forest authorities.

Uniyal made the statement before the media. He said, "Just like humans die due to aging or before time due to some mishap, similarly tigers also die due to aging and the inability to hunt." Uniyal said that the "forest department's anti-poaching cell is working actively, and that drones and camera traps are being utilised in the best possible ways."