ONGOLE: The Forest Department has intensified its investigation into the death of an adult tiger found under suspicious circumstances in the Nallamala forest, with officials questioning eight suspects and awaiting forensic reports to determine the cause of death.
The tiger carcass was found on July 31 near Tettu Madugu in the Gundlakamma Range of the Racherla forest area in the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), Markapuram district, after a Chenchu tribal alerted forest officials. Officials have also stepped up the probe following another recent tiger death reported in the Nagalooti area of the NSTR in Nandyal district. Sources said investigators were examining whether the tiger was poached, died after consuming poisoned bait or succumbed to other causes.
According to sources, the carcass was in an advanced stage of decomposition, with its paws and legs missing, raising suspicions that the claws had been removed for illegal trade.
Officials suspect the tiger may have died 35 to 40 days before the carcass was discovered. Forest officials have sent the tiger’s remains to the CCMB and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly, for forensic and post-mortem analysis.
They are also examining footages, deploying special search teams and using a dog squad to gather evidence. Sources said forest officials had detained eight suspects, including a few known wildlife offenders, for questioning.