Baripada: A five-year-old tigress was found dead inside the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
Reported to be pseudo-melanistic, the tigress was found dead in the UBK range of Similipal South Division near Jatiani camp in the core area of the reserve.
According to STR officials, patrolling staff of the Jatiani camp discovered the carcass on August 6.
Following the discovery, Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) and Field Director of STR Prakash Chand Gogineni immediately inspected the spot and initiated an investigation. A post-mortem examination was conducted on August 7 strictly in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Standard Operating Procedure.
The post-examination was carried out by a team of experts comprising Gogineni, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon of STR Dr Abhilash Acharya, Assistant Veterinary Surgeon of the Mobile Veterinary Unit Dr Joel, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon of Thakurmunda Dr Pritiprasanna Sahu and Assistant Professor in the Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation Dr Subhani Rath.
Subsequently, the area was secured and all prescribed biological samples were collected for toxicological, pathological and other laboratory examinations.
Preliminary observation showed that the carcass was fresh and bore no injury marks or other obvious external causes of death.
The collected biological samples have been forwarded to the Centre for Wildlife Health at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar, for detailed laboratory examination. The exact cause of death will be ascertained only after the laboratory reports are received,” Gogineni said.
Upon completion of the post-mortem examination, the carcass was disposed of by incineration in the presence of the Field Director and staff. The entire process, from the post-mortem examination to the reduction of the carcass into ashes, was videographed and photographed as per the prescribed protocol.