india

Updated: Jan 20, 2019 23:48 IST

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

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.

Tiger population has increased in the Corbett landscape over the years, with estimates that there are 215 (169 to 261) tigers within the reserve. Corbett has one of the highest tiger densities in the world. While Ramnagar Forest Division around Corbett has over 14 tigers per 100 sq km, Corbett has 9.4 tigers/100 sq km