3-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger found dead in Odisha reserve

Bhubaneswar, November 15

Odisha’s tiger re-introduction programme received a jolt as a three-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger brought from Madhya Pradesh died in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Angul district.

The Forest Department on Thursday confirmed that the big cat identified as Mahavir, who was one of the first to be translocated in the country earlier in 2018, from the Kanha Tiger Reserve, died in Satkosia.

The carcass has a deep laceration wound, infested with five-day-old maggots, in the dorsal neck region of the big cat that might be its cause of death, a statement from the reserve forest department said.

The site of the incident has not been disturbed as per protocol.

“Hence, the exact reason of the mortality and time of incident will be ascertained after conducting a detailed post-mortem examination,” it added.

Satkosia wildlife divisional forest officer Ramasamy P will head the probe. IANS