Rare melanistic tiger found dead in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve
According to the 2016 all-India tiger survey, the reserve had three adult melanistic tigers.
The forest department has informed the National Tiger Conservation Authority about the death. (Representational/Twitter @susantanada3) A male Royal Bengal tiger belonging to the rare melanistic breed was found dead in the core area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Sunday, officials said.
Though the exact reason behind the tiger’s death is yet to be ascertained, forest department officials said that prima facie evidence indicated that the animal had died after suspected infighting.
The tiger death was reported from the Nawana south range of the Similipal south division, the core area of the reserve. The nearest village is Badamukhipada, around 5 km from the core area.
S K Popli, principal chief conservator of forests and wildlife, said the tiger was aged around 3 to 3.5 years. “We came to know about the incident on Sunday morning. The tiger could have died due to infighting as there was an injury mark on the carcass. Male tigers generally clash to defend their territory. This sometimes turns violent, leading to casualties,” Popli told The Indian Express.
Share
