Representative image of a tiger.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bettiah: A tiger was found dead in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar's West Champaran district, officials said on Friday.
The carcass of the adult tiger was found by the forest personnel during patrolling two days back, they said.
"Pug marks of two tigers were found on the spot. It is believed that the two tigers fought three-four days ago, which resulted in the death of one of them," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Chief Wildlife Warden PK Gupta told PTI.
"The age and exact cause of death would be known from the post-mortem report, which is awaited. The post-mortem examination was conducted on Friday, and the dead tiger will be cremated on Saturday," he said.
Gupta said the viscera will be sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly and other institutions for forensic tests.
"Marks indicating injuries on the neck and abdomen were found on the deceased tiger, besides hairs in its mouth probably of another tiger. The hair samples of the other tiger will also be sent for DNA testing," he said.
Preliminary evidence rules out the possibility of hunting and poisoning, he added.
This is the second death of a tiger in the reserve in the last two years.
The VTR, the only national park in Bihar, has recorded a 75 per cent increase in the number of tigers, from 31 in 2018 to 54 in 2022.
There has been an increase of 23 tigers in the last four years, Gupta said, adding that there are seven-eight sub-adult tigers in the reserve.