Bhopal, April 26 A 12-year-old tigress was found dead in a mutilated condition in Pench Tiger Reserve in Seoni district – also known as Mowgli land, in Madhya Pradesh.
A patrol team in Pench Tiger Reserve in Seoni district made the grim discovery on Saturday morning. The tiger's carcass was found buried in the dense forest area of the Khar Buffer zone near Masurnala.
More shocking is that forest authorities discovered evidence of foul play as miscreants had reportedly tampered with the carcass, removing four claws using an axe or other sharp weapon and extracting nine teeth.
According to the official, the carcass was located in a deep trench, partially buried in the sand of a forest drain, with one-third of the body exposed.
Following the discovery, forest officials, including the field staff of Pench Tiger Reserve, promptly reached the site and commenced investigations.
“The Director of Pench Tiger Reserve, Dev Prasad, has announced a Rs 10,000 reward for anyone providing concrete information about the culprits responsible for mutilating the tiger’s remains,” an official told IANS.
The carcass was identified as a female tiger, catalogued in 2016 under the Reserve’s photo database with the code PN 42.
At the time of her initial identification, the tigress was estimated to be two to three years old, making her approximately 12 years or older at the time of death.
The post-mortem was conducted by a team led by senior wildlife doctor, Dr Akhilesh Mishra, as per NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) Standard Operating Procedures.
The examination revealed no signs of poisoning, electric shock, or gunshot wounds, suggesting a natural death as a possibility.
The tiger’s carcass was disposed of following NTCA protocols in the presence of the high-ranking forest officials and other members of the incineration Committee.
“Investigations are ongoing to uncover further details regarding the incident,” said the official.
According to the NTCA website, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve recorded the highest number of tiger mortality at 93 in India. However, tiger mortality in Pench has not been recorded.
Madhya Pradesh is known as a tiger state with 785 tigers in its nine tiger reserves, according to the 2022 census.
--IANS
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