Udhagamandalam (Tamil Nadu), February 9 An eight-year-old female tiger was found dead in the Morakutti Reserve Forest area of the Nilgiris North Range, officials said on Monday.
The carcass was discovered by forest personnel during a routine patrol on Sunday evening.
Following the discovery, the District Forest Officer (DFO) of the Nilgiris division was alerted, and a post-mortem was conducted.
The autopsy was performed at around 1 pm earlier in the day by the assistant veterinary surgeon of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
The procedure followed the strict guidelines laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and was conducted in the presence of the DFO, the assistant conservator of forests, and representatives from non-governmental organisations.
Preliminary findings from the post-mortem suggest that the tigress died of natural causes.
Following the examination, the carcass was incinerated on site in the presence of all designated officials and witnesses, in accordance with protocol.
Forest department officials said samples of the tiger’s body parts have been collected for further laboratory analysis to confirm the exact cause of death.
