Tiger cub found dead at Bandhavgarh

BHOPAL: Mystery shrouds the death of a six-month-old tiger cub at Bandhavgarh National Park in Umeria district of Madhya Pradesh late on Saturday.

The carcass of the cub was found near Bhadrijheria area of Tala range by the patrol party, said state's chief wildlife warden Narendra Kumar.

"It was weakest cub and was abandoned by its mother," he said. Kumar ruled out any poaching attempt. All body parts were intact, he added. The cub must have died six or seven days ago. Wildlife experts claim the sudden death of the tiger cub could also be a case of infanticide. Adult male tigers often kill the cubs to mate again, they said.

Earlier, a tiger cub was found dead in at the same park in July this year. It was killed by an adult tiger in a fight over territorial supremacy.

The carcass of the cub was found 1km from the Tala rest house. In May also, a tiger cub was found dead near Sheshaiya area in Tala range during a routine patrolling. In all, 13 tigers were killed in MP in 2012, including six unnatural deaths.