CCIS: 1801 Sub-adult tiger killed by another tiger near Chanda

Chandrapur: The death of yet another tiger cub in the district has alarmed forest officials. The dead body of a sub-adult tiger cub, aged around 15 months, was recovered from the protected forest under Saoli range on Monday morning. Forest officials have said that the cub was killed in a fight with an adult tiger. This is the third incident of tiger death in the district within a span of just two months.


As per reports, a shepherd from village Sajhagad in Saoli tehsil went in search of his missing cattle and discovered the dead body of the tiger cub. A partially eaten cattle carcass was also recovered near the dead body of the cub. The shepherd informed forest officials about the incident.


Forest department staffers immediately reached the spot and took control of the dead body. CF, Chandrapur forest circle, GRK Rao confirmed the death of a tiger cub and said a fight among tigers was the cause of death. He said that the place is located close to village Sajhagad in compartment no. 1,718 under Saoli forest range.


Rao dismissed the possibility of poaching since all the organs of the dead cub were intact and there was no signs of poisoning of the cattle carcass found there. "It was a male tiger cub aged around 15 months. There were deep injury marks made by canines on the skull and vertebra, while right femur bone was found fractured. Moreover, we have seen signs of a fight between tigers including pugmarks of an adult male tiger at the spot, which corroborates the findings of autopsy," said Rao.


He said that a tigress with two cubs and an adult male tiger are known to frequent this particular forest area. The tiger had made a cattle kill on Sunday evening in Sajhagad beat of the forest. The tigress with two cubs apparently reached there to grab a share, which sparked the fight between one of the cubs and the tiger. While the tigress and one cub were able to escape, the other cub was killed by the adult tiger, Rao speculated.


He said that after the incident the tiger went towards the village lake, where they found its pugmarks. Villagers too claimed to have heard growls during the night, added Rao. He informed that the dead body of the tiger cub was cremated before witnesses on the spot after necessary inquest and post mortem formalities.


Notably, it is the first case of tiger death during this year and third in the span of just 50 days in the district. On November 28, 2010, carcass of a full-grown tiger was found in FDCM Junona range. Later, on December 6, 2010, a tiger cub was found dead in Moharli (territorial) forest range at the outskirt of Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve. Interestingly, all three tigers were killed in fights with other tigers.




Read more: CCIS: 1801 Sub-adult tiger killed by another tiger near Chanda - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/CCIS-1801-Sub-adult-tiger-killed-by-another-tiger-near-Chanda/articleshow/7308129.cms#ixzz1BMH8q900