NEW DELHI: A guard working in a wildlife sanctuary has been accused of killing an adult tigress to extract its body parts, believing it would help boost his sexual prowess.
The disturbing news surfaced in Chhattisgarh, central India, on Monday, at a time when local authorities are diligently protecting big cats from extinction, mainly due to poaching.
The 48-year-old guard poisoned the six-year-old tigress to death and later stole its whiskers and other vital parts, the Asian Age newspaper reported.
It quoted a forest officer as saying that the guard believed the whiskers of the big cat species have medicinal value to enhance male sexual power and certain body parts of the feline help their possessor gain mystical powers.
The guard killed the tigress about a week ago to collect its claws, whiskers and canines and assured villagers the feline’s parts could be used to cure diseases.
The guard was arrested and admitted to forest officers that he committed the offence.
Indian wildlife activists are concerned over the dwindling number of tigers and, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the current tiger population is estimated at 1,706.
Many tigers are usually killed in remote jungles for their body parts, which fetch hefty prices in the black market. — Bernama