Mr. Tyagi said there was no injury found on either animal, and both bodies were intact, which indicate this was not a case of poaching. But, he said, “We would like to rule out poisoning, but for that we need to receive the viscera report. In many cases, the forest villagers try to poison the animals by keeping poisonous food out as animals disturb their life in many ways.” Forest officials suspect that the summer heat could have affected the animals. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) Nagpur data, day-time temperatures in the region were above 45°C at that time. The two animals were aged over eight years, so MrTyagi says there is a possibility that they could have died of a combination of age and heat. “This would only be confirmed after the investigation reports reach us.”

The bodies were taken to the laboratories of the state’s animal husbandry division for further investigation.

As per 2015 data, the Melghat Reserve Forest had about 42 tigers. The deaths of these two animals are a cause of concern for the forest administration. According to Mr. Tyagi, the Special Tiger Protection Force of Melghat, a security force created last year, has cordoned off the two spots where the tigers were found, and has begun a scan of the entire reserve forest, aside from outreach with residents of villages in the area as part of their investigations into the deaths.