A tiger that was found dead in a sanctuary in Odisha in east India last month died after being caught in a trap laid by wildlife poachers.
According to a joint inspection team formed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the tiger “Mahavir” sustained deep wounds on its neck when it tried to break free from the trap, the Financial Express reported.
The three-year-old Royal Bengal tiger ultimately died of a multi-organ failure as the infected wound had become septic.
Mahavir’s carcass was found in the Satkosia Tiger Reserve on November 14.
One of the investigators on the case said the trap could have been targeting wild boars instead of tigers. He said the case could have been one of accidental poaching instead of targeted poaching, and called for better strategies to prevent cases like this from happening again.
Mahavir was brought from Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh to an enclosure in Rayagada, Odisha on June 21 as a part of an interstate tiger relocation program.
On July 6, the tiger was released into the wild of Satkosia with a radio collar attached to its neck for movement tracking.