Officials rule out poaching for now; forensic tests underway to confirm cause of death
Bengaluru: A tigress aged about 7 years was found dead with injuries at the Saave forest beat of the Lakkavalli range in the Bhadra tiger reserve in Chikkamagaluru district on Thursday. The carcass was found by a forest patrol.
The presence of injuries led to suspicion that the tigress might have lost her life in a fight with a rival. Officials collected samples and sent them for forensic analysis to ascertain the cause of death.
The carcass was scanned using a metal detector to find out if bullet injuries that could have led her death. Following this, the carcass was burnt as per procedure laid down by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Lakkavalli assistant conservator of forest Santosh Sagar, RFO Santosh Surimath, honorary wildlife warden Veeresh among others examined the carcass before it was cremated.
The necropsy of the carcass was conducted by Narasimharaja Pura government veterinarian Shivakumar while he was assisted by veterinarians from Shivamogga Veterinary College.
