A 10-month-old tiger cub was found dead in the D.B. Kuppe range of the Nagarahole National Park on Sunday.

It is suspected to be one of the three cubs which were apparently desperate and searching for their mother that had been missing since the last few days and were starving.

The Nagarahole park director, Manikantan, told The Hindu that they were trying to track the animals since the last few days and had placed camera traps to trace the mother.

Emaciated state

The cub was a female, and examination of the carcass indicated that it was starving and was in an emaciated state. The carcass was found near Bisilvadikere, and forest staff are said to have noticed two other cubs in the vicinity.

Though it was not clear why the cubs had been abandoned, there was speculation that the mother might have died. But it was yet to be confirmed, as no other carcass was found in the territory, said Mr. Manikantan.

The mother and the three cubs were popular in the tourism area, and the condition of the cubs was also discussed in social media by animal lovers, who sought assistance for the cubs.

The post-mortem was conducted by Dr. Umashankar, veterinarian, and the carcass burnt as per NTCA protocol.