MP: Tiger carcass found in Seoni forest, territorial fight believed to be cause of death

Seoni (MP), Jul 11 (PTI) A tiger was found dead in a forest under the Keolari range of Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district on Saturday with preliminary examination suggesting that it died in a territorial fight with another big cat, an official said. The carcass, estimated to be around three days old, was spotted in the Arjunjhir beat of the Doodhiya circle at around 1.30 pm. It bore claw and bite marks inflicted by another tiger, said Seoni South Divisional Forest Officer Gaurav Kumar Mishra. "Prima facie, it appears to be a case of a territorial fight between two tigers. The post-mortem examination indicated that the animal had died more than three days ago," he said. The dog squad searched the entire area but found no evidence of poaching or any suspicious activity, officials said. Wildlife experts, including veterinarian Dr Akhilesh Mishra from Pench Tiger Reserve and Dr Hamza Nadeem Farooqui of Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), conducted the autopsy and concluded that the tiger had apparently died in a territorial conflict. All body parts of the deceased animal, including the claws, teeth, whiskers and skin, were intact. PTI COR LAL KRK