A seven-month-old female tiger cub was found dead under suspicious circumstances at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, officials said on Wednesday.
According to the Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, FS Ninama, it is suspected that the cub was killed during a fight with another tiger.
The pugmarks of another tiger were found near the carcass of deceased cub, the official said.
Further, officials informed that dog squads were brought in to aid the ongoing investigation into the incident.
Last month, Madhya Pradesh had emerged as a tiger state yet again, inhabiting 785 big cats.
According to the latest data released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on the occasion of International Tiger Day — titled 'Status of Tigers Co-predators & Prey in India, 2022' — the state has topped the list of the highest number of tigers and again became the tiger state.
Madhya Pradesh tops the country in tiger population at 785, followed by Karnataka at 563, Uttarakhand at 560 and Maharashtra at 444.
The NTCA report stated further that Madhya Pradesh is home to the highest number of six tiger reserves in the state — Kanha Tiger Reserve, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Panna Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve, Satpura Tiger Reserve and Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve.
The tiger abundance within the Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is highest in Bandhavgarh (135), followed by Khana (105) and Pench (77).
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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