Tinsukia: Tinsukia-based wildlife conservationist Devajit Moran has described the recent human-tiger conflict in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley as a “preventable institutional failure,” following the death of a police personnel and the subsequent killing of a sub-adult female tiger in the Mayodia region.
The incident unfolded over the past week when a police personnel was mauled to death by a tiger in the Mayodia area. Two days later, the tiger allegedly involved was found dead after being shot, bringing a tragic end to a chain of events that Moran argues could have been avoided through timely intervention.
Moran said the Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department had been aware of sustained tiger movement along the Roing–Mayodia road since December 2025.
“For nearly two months, there were repeated reports and visual confirmations of the tiger’s presence in this corridor. Despite this, no formal advisories, movement regulation or structured safety measures were put in place,” he said.
He pointed out that several non-lethal mitigation options were available but never put to use. He said expert wildlife organisations, including the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), could have been consulted to assess measures such as translocation, controlled monitoring or habitat-based interventions.
“Scientific mitigation should precede tragedy, not follow it,” he said.
Highlighting ecological stressors, Moran suggested that recent forest fires, allegedly triggered by deliberate hill-slope burning, may have displaced the tiger from its natural habitat and pushed it closer to the roadside.
He noted that the Mayodia region has long been frequented by tourists, birdwatchers and international visitors, with no prior record of such fatal encounters.
“The sudden appearance of a tiger along a busy road points to habitat disturbance rather than abnormal aggression,” Moran said, stressing that conservation and public safety must be treated as complementary, not competing, responsibilities.
Moran also raised concerns over the lack of transparency following the killing of the tiger, noting that details surrounding the shooting and the animal’s post-mortem examination have yet to be made public.
“When explanations are absent, accountability weakens and public trust erodes,” he said.
The Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department has so far not issued a detailed official account of the incident. As authorities assess the aftermath, Moran said the Mayodia tragedy should serve as a warning that delayed and reactive responses in ecologically sensitive regions carry irreversible consequences for both human lives and wildlife conservation.