Umaria (Madhya Pradesh): A tiger was found dead in the core area of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district, an official said on Monday.
The carcass of the feline, around 4 to 5 years old, was spotted around 4 pm on Sunday by forest personnel during patrolling near Bamor village under Pataur core area of the BTR, the reserve's deputy director Lavit Bharti said in a statement.
It is suspected that the tiger died following a territorial fight with another big cat, the official said.
During a search by the dog squad, the evidence of presence of a tiger, a tigress and two cubs was found within 500 metres of the spot and the villagers were advised not to venture out in the area, the statement said.
After an autopsy, the carcass was disposed of as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines and its viscera was sent to a laboratory for examination, it added.
The All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 had revealed that Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state in the country.
Madhya Pradesh has a number of tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura and Panna.
Last week, a senior forest official said more than 30 tigers moved out of the Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) in recent years to find a new territory.
He had said tigers from the PTR went to Chitrakoot and Bandhavgarh, while noting that it was a regular and natural process.
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