Authorities from the Maharashtra Forest Department found the mutilated and disjointed carcass of a tiger from various locations in paddy fields at Lodhitola village near the Gondia district forest range.
Officials said that these findings were unusual for the location, and have reportedly started an investigation into the matter. The carcass was found between Sunday and Monday, the authorities said.
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Deputy Conservator of Forests at Gondia, Kulraj Singh said, “This seems to be a clear case of poaching but we cannot identify the cause of death at the moment. It could be through poisoning or electrocution. There has been no arrest yet.”
Singh added that some parts of the tiger’s body are still missing. “Though we conducted an autopsy, we could not ascertain the cause of death as the remains were putrefied. However, it seems that the tiger may have died 12-15 days ago. The organs were collected and sent for further analysis into the cause of death,” he said.
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Explaining the crucial role played by the sniffer dog Peter in the investigations, Singh said, “The sniffer dog Peter (German Shepherd) played an extremely important role in identifying parts of the tiger’s body. Interrogations with farmers, landowners, and those working in the area are underway.”
Maharashtra has seen a total of 16 tiger deaths in 2020 including some incidents of poaching which have quantified concerns among wildlife conservation groups.
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