Captured animal, released in PTR on October 7, found dead in a lake in the reserve; its lungs were not fully functional and it was weak, says report
Captured animal, released in PTR on October 7, found dead in a lake in the reserve; its lungs were not fully functional and it was weak, says report
A post-mortem examination of the tiger that was found dead at a lake in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) has attributed the death to drowning. The autopsy revealed that its lungs were not fully functional and it was physically weak. The 10-year-old male tiger, trapped in a cage at Neymakkad estate, near Munnar, was released to the PTR and was found dead inside the reserve on Sunday. The tiger was radio-collared and released to the PTR on October 7.
PTR East deputy director Patil Suyog Subhash Rao said the animal drowned accidentally. “Such drowning cases have been reported in the PTR earlier too. The animal was healthy and hunted prey,” said Mr. Rao.
According to Forest department sources, the tiger drowned while swimming across the third waterbody inside the reserve. “It had successfully crossed two waterbodies,” said the source. Its weak lungs could have resulted in the drowning.
Officials said an injury mark was found on the left hand of the tiger, which it had probably sustained while trying to catch a porcupine. The injury could have affected its swimming capability, said an official. The animal had poor vision in the left eye, most likely after a fight with another tiger. “Its left eye had corneal obesity,“ a forest veterinary doctor said.
Killed 10 cows
The post-mortem examination of the tiger was held in the presence of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) members at Thekkady on Monday. The tiger had triggered panic at the Neymakkad estate of the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations (KDHP) near Munnar in Idukki, killing 10 cows and leaving three injured on October 1.
The Forest department set up cages and trapped the animal on October 4.
