A tiger was found dead in a forest area in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district on Wednesday with officials suspecting the big cat was electrocuted in what was the third tiger fatality reported in the state in the last 10 days.
The carcass of the tiger, aged around 8 years, was spotted by a patrolling team near an agricultural field in Bakrampath village, some 35km from the district headquarters, said forest ranger Danis Uikey.
He said electricity wires, connected to an 11kV power supply line passing through the village, were found at the spot, giving rise to a suspicion that the big cat may have been electrocuted.
All body parts of the protected wild animal were found to be intact, he said.
A man has been detained for interrogation and further investigation was underway, said Uikey.
After an autopsy, the carcass was disposed of as per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines and its viscera (internal organs) were sent to laboratories for examination, veterinarian Akhilesh Mishra said.
This was the third tiger death in the first 10 days of 2023 in Madhya Pradesh, according to the NTCA website.
The earlier deaths were reported on January 2 (in Kanha Tiger Reserve) and January 4 (in Panna reserve).
According to the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state of the country.
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