Tiger found dead in Corbett Tiger Reserve, wildlife officials try to find cause

This is the first tiger death in the state this year. The first tiger death last year was also reported from Nainital district’s Ramnagar Forest Division on January 30.

A tiger was found dead in under a culvert over a stream in the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand on Sunday, said forest officials.

A tiger was dead beneath a culvert in the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand on Sunday. Forest officials are trying to ascertain the cause of death. (HT Photo)

KN Bharti, sub-divisional forest officer, Ramnagar said the locals spotted the carcass of a tiger lying in Ringoda stream and immediately informed the forest officials about it. He said the area falls under the buffer area of Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Locals in Ramnagar suspect that the tiger could have died due to a vehicle hit as it was found under a culvert. But forest officials say things will be clear after post mortem results come.

“There was a deer kill near the tiger carcass. There is a possibility that this tiger died in infighting with another tiger from the area”, Bharti said.

He said veterinary doctors will conduct the post mortem of the carcass, following which the exact cause of its death will be known.

This is the first tiger death in the state this year. The first tiger death last year was also reported from Nainital district’s Ramnagar Forest Division on January 30. In April last year, a carcass of a tiger was found in Surpudali range of Corbett Tiger Reserve. In May, a tigress was found dead in the forests of Almora district.