Nagpur/Chandrapur: A male tiger, captured earlier this month after it killed five people in the Tadoba Andhari Reserve area has died. The male tiger breathed its last Monday at a rescue centre in Maharashtra’s Nagpur district. The tiger died 11 days after it was shifted to the facility, forest officials said. A senior official said septicaemia appears to be the prima facie cause behind the adult tiger’s death.
On the charge
The tiger officially called KT-1 earlier used to move in and around the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district. It had killed five people on separate occasions in the last five months. The killings took place in Kolara, Bamangaon and Satara villages located near TATR.
The last such incident was reported June 6. After that the animal was tranquilised and captured near the Kolara forest range, a forest official said.
Tiger captured
“The Maharashtra Chief Wildlife Warden gave permission for its capture June 8. The tiger was tranquilised June 10. It was shifted to Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur June 11. It died Monday,” the official said.
The tiger was quarantined at the ‘Enclosure 5’ of the Gorewada rescue centre, stated a release. “The tiger showed poor appetite since arrival and failed to acclimatise to captive life,” added.
A team of experts of Wildlife Research & Training Centre (WRTC), Gorewada, was treating the big cat.
Sudden illness
“The tiger was, however, alert and active, and showed no signs of any core illness. But in the early hours of June 22, the tiger was noticed in distress by forest guards. It was around 6.45 am,” the release said.
When a team of veterinarians reached the animal holding facility, they found KT-1’s response was ‘feeble’ response to touch and twitch. The animal was declared dead at 7.00am. The big cat was then brought to Gorewada Rescue Centre hospital for post-mortem. Prima facie, the cause of the death of the tiger appears to be septicaemia,” the release added.
Injured tiger rescued
Meanwhile, an injured tigress that strayed into Bamani village under Nagbhid forest range of Chandrapur has been rescued. It was tranquilised by forest officials. It has also been shifted to the Gorewada Rescue Centre in Nagpur, said an official.