8-month-old tiger cub found dead in Madhya Pradesh, 6th tiger to die in a month

A senior Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve official said the cub was killed in a territorial fight by a tiger, possibly the one spotted in the vicinity two days before the cub was found dead on Sunday evening

Published on: Apr 26, 2022, 02:16:38 IST

By Shruti Tomar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Bhopal: An eight-month-old cub was recently killed in a territorial fight in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Umaria district, the sixth tiger to die in Madhya Pradesh in the past one month, forest officials said.

A territorial fight is a natural phenomenon in an area with a high density of tigers. said Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve field director (Representative Image/Danish Khan)

The cub’s carcass was found in Barbuspura area of Madhya Pradesh’s BTR on Sunday evening. The skull had injury marks and there were canine marks all over the body. The pug marks of an adult tiger were also found near the carcass. Prima facie, investigation suggested that the cub was killed in a territorial fight, said BS Annagiri, field director, BTR.

The forest guards have seen a tigress, a tiger and two cubs in the area two days ago. The cub might have been killed by the tiger. Now, we have increased patrolling in the area to track another cub and also tigress, he added.

The field director said the territorial fight is a natural phenomenon in an area with a high density of tigers.

Earlier, on April 12, a tiger was found dead at Pench Tiger Reserve in Seoni. The forest official suspects that the two-year-old tiger was also killed in a territorial fight. On April 3, a two-year-old tiger was found dead in Lalbarra area of Balaghat. On April 2 and 3, a tigress and its cub were killed in territorial fights in Satpura Tiger Reserve. A tiger was reported killed in Seoni on March 30 but this tiger’s death was attributed to an accident involving a vehicle.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More