Bantala: The mystery surrounding the death of Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) ‘Mahabir’ in Satkosia sanctuary in Angul district was finally unraveled after the post-mortem report claimed that the animal died due to infection and multiple organ failure.
“The post-mortem conducted by four veterinarians revealed that the death of the tiger happened due to infection and multiple organ failure,” regional chief conservator of forest (RCCF) and Satkosia field director Sudarshan Panda said.
The big cat had consumed a porcupine as around 8 to 10 quills of the species were recovered from its stomach while the fur of a boar was found from its stool, he said.
The tissue sample of the dead tiger has been sent to various government laboratories for further examination, the reports of which are awaited, the RCCF added.
Initial reports suggested that the tiger translocated from the Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh died due to severe infection of a wound on the dorsal region of its neck.
The tiger from Kanha was found dead in Raiguda range on Hindol-Narsinghpur border with maggot infested wound marks on its neck November 14.
When asked about the RBT ‘Sundari’ which was translocated from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, the RCCF said the tigress kept in an enclosure in Satkosia is in good health and rejected the reports of its ill health published in a section of the media.
He said the health condition of ‘Sundari’ is fine and the big cat is moving inside the enclosure. The RCCF also rejected the reports on her translocation from Satkosia.
“Any further decision will be taken after discussing the matter with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Centre and the state government,” Panda added.
Recently, two experts from the NTCA and the WII visited the sanctuary and conducted a probe into Mahavir’s death. They also took stock of the health condition of Sundari in the enclosure.
PNN