Tiger found dead in coffee estate in Karnataka, officials suspect territorial fight

Madikeri (KTK), Jan 11 (PTI) A tiger was found dead in a coffee estate in Virajpet range of Kodagu district, forest department officials said on Thursday.

The injuries on the left paw and shoulder indicate that it might have been involved in a territorial fight, they said.

The exact cause of death could be ascertained through a post mortem to be done under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol. As it had taken to killing cattle there was an order to capture it. A senior official said: “This particular tiger which was about 13-year-old was in a conflict situation. It was engaged in cattle killing on a regular basis in the coffee estate and around.

It was quite old and since it was entering the human habitation and was also in a conflict situation, our forest personnel started tracking it…we wanted to capture it for which we had permission so that any human injuries or death could be avoided.”
This tiger was spotted three days ago limping in an area which was near the coffee estate. So, a forest department team conducted a search operation. Even elephants and veterinarians accompanied, he said.

“We wanted to track the tiger and possibly capture it. Because it was limping, we wanted to examine it and, if required, treat it. We would have taken it to a rescue centre,” he added.
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Kumar Pushkar told PTI that during the search operation, the body of the tiger was found in the coffee estate on Wednesday.

The post-mortem would be done today but prima facie, the observation is that it had a territorial fight with another big cat because it bore multiple injuries. The tiger was quite old and its canines were also completely damaged. But only after the post-mortem examination can we asceratin the exact cause of death, he added.