Tiger Killed in India

It may not be poaching this time though.

A tiger was found dead outside the Kohra forest range of Kaziranga on Saturday, sparking suspicions of revenge killing by angry residents of adjoining villages. With this, the big cat death toll in the national park rose to three this year.

The carcass was spotted beyond the park boundary, near an upcoming resort in the Mohpara area. The tiger was aged between seven and eight and may have died around two days ago. Forest officials ruled out a poaching bid, for the corpse had not been mutilated and no organs were missing. "We found the ninth rib of the tiger broken and partially calcified. We are waiting for the report on the exact cause of death," said Kaziranga divisional forest officer D D Gogoi.

Over the past week, tigers have frequently lifted livestock from the villages outside Kaziranga, with a tiger killing a domestic pig in the park's Sildubi area on Saturday itself. This has given credence to the perception that the animal had died in a revenge attack.