A male tiger was found dead in Parsons Valley on Monday morning and forest officials suspect that it could have been poisoned.
Forest Department officials stumbled upon the remains just a few feet away from the Parsons Valley reservoir. The tiger was , believed to be 12-15 years old. Initially, it was suspected that the animal could have died due to natural causes but investigations revealed clues that indicated that the animal could have died due to extraneous factors, officials said.
A team of veterinarians arrived at the scene and conducted a post mortem. Samples of the animal’s organs were also taken for analysis to conclude if it was poisoned.
A sniffer dog was also pressed into service to look for clues and find the source of the poison, officials said. Though the Parson’s Valley reservoir is quite remote from human settlements, officials believe that the tiger could have an established range in the forests surrounding it. They suspect the tiger could have been preying on cattle straying into the surrounding forests, judging by the condition of its body.
Stating that the animal seemed well fed and cattle owners could have poisoned a carcass, the forest officials have widened their search radius to see if there were carcasses in the surrounding areas.
Once the laboratory test results determine the animal’s cause of death, a case would be registered, forest officials added.
