Chamarajanagar (Karnataka), March 17 A tigress is believed to have died due to electrocution on farmland in a village in this district, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred in Padaguru village in the Gundlupete taluk, near the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, they said.
The tigress was approximately one and a half years old, they added.
According to Forest Department officials, the incident occurred on agricultural land owned by a local farmer. An electric fence installed to protect crops by the landowner is suspected to have caused the electrocution, leading to the tiger's death.
The exact circumstances leading to the electrocution are being investigated.
"It is illegal to install electric fencing on agricultural lands. Only solar fencing, which delivers a shock without causing death to animals, is permitted," he said.
A post-mortem of the tigress indicated death due to electrocution, the official said.
A case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act is being registered against the landowner, and necessary action will be initiated, the senior official said, adding that further investigation is underway.