Both big cats were under the age of one year, officials said. (Representative pic)
Two tiger cubs were found dead in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district, an official said on Tuesday.
The carcasses of the big cats, both aged less than a year, were found in different locations in the Panpatha and Khitoli ranges of the reserve, officials said.
Fateh Singh Ninama, sub-divisional forest officer, said that a patrolling team found the mutilated body of a cub in the Panpatha range. It is suspected that the cub died in a territorial fight, he said.
Ninama said that another young tiger was found dead near Gadhpuri village under Khitoli range.
Both big cats were under the age of one year, Ninama said.
According to officials, the carcass of both the cubs will be disposed of as per the NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) guidelines on Tuesday.
Madhya Pradesh retained the “tiger state” status in the last census (2022), with the number of big cats in the state rising to 785 in 2022 from 526 in 2018.
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