Posted: Tue Dec 28 2010, 01:50 hrs
Guwahati: A five-year-old female Royal Bengal tiger has been found dead inside the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, 150 kms from Guwahati. Preliminary reports suggest it to be a case of poisoning. The park has lost two tigers this year.
S K Daila, divisional forest officer in charge of the park, said the carcass of the tiger was found by a forest guard patrol on Saturday in a dense patch of tora vegetation near the Pachnoi river under Camp No 2. The tiger’s body, however, bore no sign of physical injury.
“The post-mortem report has cited suspected poisoning, however, a forensic examination has been recommended for confirmation. Samples of vital organs of the tiger’s body have been collected and are being sent to the state’s Forensic Science Laboratory in Guwahati tomorrow,” Daila said.
The park authorities carried out an intensive search operation in the area where the carcass was found but could not gather any clues, Daila said. The carcass was disposed off in the presence of representatives of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, National Tiger Conservation Authority and others after the post-mortem examination was over.
The Orang National Park has a history of tigers being poisoned, with the authorities pointing to the park’s small size leading to a limited prey base. The park is under considerable anthropogenical pressure with the tigers straying to fringe areas to kill cattle.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Tiger-found-dead-in-Orang-park–poisoning-suspected/730037
