BENGALURU: The autopsy of the male tiger which was found dead on Friday revealed that it was due to a territorial fight with another tiger in the Hebbe forest of Bhadra Tiger Reserve. The patrolling staff of Hebbe Range had found the carcass in a decomposed state but with its body intact.
The autopsy revealed that the animal had died in a territorial fight with another tiger as it had severe wounds all over the body. Tiger teeth wound marks were found in the neck while nail marks were detected on the front left leg.
A wildlife expert said, “With the body in a decomposed condition, the animal must have died 3-4 days back. The male tiger was found to be 7-8 years old and a healthy animal with a length of 191 centimetres. Territorial fight for space, food and mating is prevalent amongst big carnivores while a dominant male tiger will kill another tiger in such fights in nature.
A healthy male tiger has a hunting area of 10-15 kilometres that is known as its territory and therefore, guards this area fiercely against other tigers. In an area with little prey density, young and weaklings and old tigers are pushed to the fringes of the forest.”
