A tigress was found dead in an Elephant Proof Trench (EPT) bordering the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, on Saturday.
It is estimated to be around 9 years old and the carcass was found in the EPT dug along in the Nugu wildlife zone in the Hediyala sub-division of the tiger reserve.
Forest Department personnel said there were no traces of external injuries including wound from snares nor does it seem to be a case of poisoning. The skin and the claws were intact thus ruling out poaching and hence the authorities suspect it to have died of natural causes.
The postmortem was conducted by wildlife veterinarians and the carcass cremated as per the NTCA norms. Samples of the viscera have been sent to the laboratories for analysis to ascertain the cause of death, the authorities added.
