A tiger chasing its prey died after being hit by a train and getting dragged for some distance by its engine in the Ratapani Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh's Raisen district, officials said on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night between Budhni and Midghat under the Obaidullaganj Range of the tiger reserve, located 95 km from the district headquarters, they said.
This is the second tiger death in the area within a week, and the fifth in the Ratapani reserve over the past year, a forest department official said.
The Budhni-Midghat railway track continues to pose a threat to the wildlife, the official said.
After a special train (no. 01410) hit the tiger, the big cat got entangled in its engine and was dragged for 25 feet, Divisional Forest Officer Hemant Raikwar said, quoting the Ratapani reserve superintendent Mayank Raj.
A preliminary investigation indicated the tiger was hit by the train while trying to catch its prey, he said.
After the incident, the feline let out loud roars for a long time, following which railway workers reached the spot and alerted the forest department, the official said.
The carcass was disposed of after an autopsy in the presence of Chief Conservator of Forests Ashok Kumar.
In the past decade, 10 tigers, 15 leopards, two bears, and other wild animals have been killed along the Budhni-Barkheda railway track, an official said, quoting statistics.
Madhya Pradesh has several tiger reserves, including Ratapani, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Pench and Panna.
As per the ‘Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022’ report, released by the NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India (latest census), Madhya Pradesh was home to the highest number of tigers in the country at 785, followed by Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand (560).
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