GUWAHATI: A carcass of a tiger was found at Kaziranga National Park on Saturday. According to park officials, the tiger, a male, might have died while fighting for territory as injury marks were found on its body.
"Tigers are territorial animals and death due to fight for territory is a common phenomenon among the big cats. The carcass belonged to a male sub-adult, which might have had a fight with another tiger for territory. It's a natural cause of death," a senior park official said.
The official said the tiger was killed in a territorial fight which was corroborated by the fact that pugmarks of other tigers were spotted where the carcass was found.
Kaziranga divisional forest officer S K Seal Sharma said the carcass was found during routine patrol by forest staff near Gobrai anti-poaching camp in the Kohora forest range of the park.
"After conducting an autopsy on the carcass, it was burnt in the presence of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) representatives and officials of the park," Sharma said.
A source said tiger carcasses are burnt to prevent illegal trade in tiger body parts by unscrupulous people.
The park has 118-odd tigers. According to the NTCA's 2011 report, Kaziranga's tiger density is 15.92 per 100sqkm, while Bandhavgarh's is 16.25 per 100sqkm.
