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Madhya Pradesh loses two big cats to ‘territorial fights’

A sub-adult, aged between 15 and 18 months, was found dead in Ghunghuti range of Umaria forest division on Tuesday. The forest department was able to reach the carcass on Wednesday, as the mother was in the vicinity.

Tigers in india, Tiger population india, how many tigers in india, madhya pradesh Tiger population, Indian tigers, Tiger census 2019, Indian express According to officials, a male tiger killed the tigress and one of her two male cubs. (Picture for representational purpose)

Madhya Pradesh, the country’s new ‘Tiger State’, has lost three big cats this week, two of them in confirmed territorial fights.

A sub-adult, aged between 15 and 18 months, was found dead in Ghunghuti range of Umaria forest division on Tuesday. The forest department was able to reach the carcass on Wednesday, as the mother was in the vicinity.

A post-mortem was conducted on Wednesday. Chief Conservator of Forest (Shahdol) A K Joshi told The Indian Express that prima facie, the cause of death appears to be a snake bite. While ruling out poaching, he said veterinary doctor’s final opinion is still awaited.

Read | Madhya Pradesh reclaims ‘tiger state’ tag from Karnataka

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On Sunday, a cub was found dead in Kalawa range of the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR). Even as forest officials were consigning the cub to flames, they learnt of another carcass in the vicinity. A search led the forest officials to the carcass of a tigress (named T-62), in a dense forest about 100 meters away. She had died days before the cub.

Explained | Counting India’s tigers

According to officials, a male tiger killed the tigress and one of her two male cubs. The other cub was rescued and shifted to an enclosure. The bodies of the deceased mother and cub had several injury marks.

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Read | Tiger numbers double since 2006 but no presence in three reserves: Census

The carcass found on Tuesday, about 10 kms from Shahdol, did not bear marks of electrocution or injuries. Maggots had eaten some part of the face. Forest officials also found a kill some distance from the carcass. They initially suspected that the kill could have been poisoned, but that was not the case, they said.

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Read | International Tiger Day 2019: Relocation of tigers a ‘mindless distraction’, say experts

On Monday, MP reclaimed the ‘Tiger State of India’ status from Karnataka as The All India Tiger Estimation Report, 2018, released by the Prime Minister, had put the number of tigers in the state at 526, marginally ahead of Karnataka’s 526.

First uploaded on: 01-08-2019 at 04:46 IST
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