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Tiger cub’s body found; tigress succumbs to injuries in Maharashtra
Half-eaten body of a cub, the offspring of tigress T1, found in Karhandla jungle. Officials suspect that T9 killed the cub; another tigress succumbs to injuries in Pench
Two tigers were reported dead on Sunday in separate incidents in Maharashtra.
The half-eaten body of a tiger cub was found in Karhandla jungle, some 50 km from Nagpur, of Umred Paoni Karhandla sanctuary on Sunday evening while one of the cubs of Avni, the tigress from Yavatmal that was shot dead in 2018, succumbed to its injuries in Pench on Sunday morning.
According to reports, a forest guard found the half-eaten body of the cub during a routine patrolling in the Karhandla jungle. Divisional forest officer (wildlife), Bor Sanctuary, and other senior officials rushed to the spot. As per the Standard Operating Procedure of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the spot was sealed and a panchanama was conducted.
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The team found no traces of any kind of illegal activity or poaching. Necessary search operations and examinations were conducted in the presence of the authorities.
There were indications of a scuffle and movement of an adult tiger nearby. The dead cub was the offspring of tigress T1 who has been spotted with male tiger T9. Officials suspect that T9 killed the cub. Camera traps have been deployed in the area and investigation will continue.
Earlier on Sunday morning, a three-year-old tigress, one of the cubs of tigress Avni of Yavatmal, died during treatment. The tigress was captured on December 22, 2018, when it was just a year old. It was rewilded in a five-hectare enclosure in Pench for over two years before being released in the wild first week of this month.
It was recaptured on March 8 after being attacked by another tigress. It was being treated in Pench where it succumbed to its injuries.
Pench tiger reserves field director RS Govekar said the tigress’s condition deteriorated on Saturday and veterinary doctors suggested shifting it to the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur. But the animal died early on Sunday.
