An adult tiger was found dead inside an old well in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh’s Umaria district, marking the second big cat death in the reserve within two days, a forest official said on Friday.
Earlier, the carcass of a female tiger cub was found in the Kathli beat of the reserve on Wednesday, reportedly following a fight with a wild animal.
“The carcass of an adult tiger was found inside an old well on Thursday evening in Kudri Tola village of Raipur, under the Dhamokhar range of the reserve. On receiving the information, park officials and a team from the forest department reached and inspected the spot,” the official said.
Eyewitnesses reported a strong stench emanating from the well, located around 1.5 kilometres from the village, suggesting the animal had died five to six days before being discovered.
“The location where the tiger’s carcass was found is approximately two km away from the forest outpost,” Dhamokhar range official Ranger Dhruv Singh said. A dog squad was deployed to search the surrounding area.
Talking to PTI, field Director Anupam Sahay said the tiger's carcass was retrieved on Friday morning.
The exact cause of the death and age of the big cat will be known after the examination by veterinarians, he said.