Initial probe rules out foul play in tiger's death

PTI | 12:05 PM,May 30,2012 Lakhimpur (UP), May 30 (PTI) Initial investigation into the death of a tiger at the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve has found that the animal died due to infighting and ruled out any foul play. Relying on the observation of the body, a team of doctors has described the probable cause of death of the male tiger found dead in Kishanpur range in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) on May 27 as infighting. They have referred the case for final diagnosis to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly. Prior to this, two carcasses of tigers had been recovered in neighbouring Haripur range of Pilibhit forest division on May 24 and May 25 respectively. UP Chief wildlife warden Rupak Dey, field director DTR Shailesh Prasad and deputy director Ganesh Bhat have rushed to Kishanpur to investigate the matter. The authorities conducted a thorough examination of the tiger carcass and inspected the surroundings, where the carcass was recovered. The evidences on the spot ruled out any poaching attempts. "Sniffers from the Sashastra Sima Bal (SSB) were deployed to detect any human presence. However, no human interference on the body was detected," field director Shailesh Prasad said. In their findings, the veterinary doctors found ‘rigor mortis absent’ while the ‘vertebra found broken at two places.’ Deep canine bite injuries were detected on the spots where vertebra was found broken. Right and hind limbs were also found broken. Based on these findings, the doctors suspected fighting with some other tiger to be the cause of death. "No foot-prints of human movement were noticed on the spot," Jaswant Singh Kaler, wildlife activist and office-bearer of NGO Katarnia Ghat Foundation, said after visiting the spot. http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/initial-probe-rules-out-foul-play-in-tigers-death/1005104.html