Seoni: Tiger found dead in Pench, territorial fight suspected

Seoni (Madhya Pradesh): An adult tiger was found dead in the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) of Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The feline, around 12 years old, is suspected to have died in a territorial fight as the carcass had a number of injury marks, he said.

A patrolling team on Tuesday spotted the carcass in Kurai area which falls under Mowgli Sanctuary of the reserve, PTR's field director Ashok Kumar Mishra said.

The official said canine marks of another tiger were clearly visible on both the front legs of the dead carnivore. The front right paw bone was also found broken and there were serious injuries on the neck, he said.

An inspection of the area indicated that the tiger died in a territorial fight with another feline, the official said.

The carcass was disposed of as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority guidelines and the viscera was sent to a laboratory for examination, he added.

On March 1, a tiger cub was found dead in the PTR's core area, an official earlier said.

According to the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state of the country.

The state has a number of tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura and Panna.