Tigress found dead at Ranthambore
Tigress found dead at Ranthambore
TNN | Mar 19, 2013, 02.52 AM IST
JAIPUR: A tigress T-37 was found dead in its territory (zone-9) at the Ranthambore tiger reserve on Monday. Locals said the tigress was seen in the morning by visitors but was found dead around 2.30pm. Forest officials are clueless about the reason behind the death.
The tigress' body was first spotted by a guide at Pandu Kho in Kanwalji area, which is a part of zone-9.
"The doctor who was immediately called to examine the body was not sure about what led to the death," said a local journalist who visited the spot.
He said eye-witnesses had seen the tigress coughing during the day. "The doctor said it could be kidney or liver failure," he said.
The doctor also didn't rule out the possibility of the tigress being pregnant and some complication in pregnancy causing the death.
"Post-mortem will be conducted on Tuesday morning," said a forest official.
Another forest official however said that it could be a revenge killing by the villagers from the adjoining areas of the reserve.
"We have not found any poisonous substance in the area. However, the zone where the tigress was found dead is surrounded by villages and it happens to be a disputed area between villagers and the reserve," he said. Villagers also graze their cattle in the area.
In the past one year, this is the fourth big cat death in the state. Three months ago, a tigress, yet to be identified, was found dead in Ranthambore while two tigers died in Sariska few months ago.
With the recent death, the tiger population at the reserve now stands at 49.
Experts said the death of T-37 is a major blow to the zone-9, a popular destination for tourists. The male tiger T-42 in the zone will now explore some other territory, which could also lead to a territorial fight.
"The T-42 was the partner of the dead tigress in the zone-9 area," said Yaduvendra, president, Ranthambore Naturalists Association. The sibling of T-37 was killed by T-42 last year in a territorial fight, he said.
"Death of T-37 is a major loss to the wildlife in the region where the two tigers were living," he added.
He said that the death of the tigress was mysterious as she was seen a few hours before found dead.
