Nagpur: The one-year-old tiger cub that was found dead at Kolitmara in West Pench on Sunday turned out to be the cub of the tigress (PTR-TF3) that was found dead in the same area on February 24.
On March 1, camera trap pictures of the cub (C2) had shown him moving around in the area. A committee was also formed in line with NTCA standard operating procedure (SOP) to monitor the cub. The cub was again recorded in the vicinity on March 13 in cameras.
“It is really surprising how the cub survived for nearly three months after its mother died,” say experts. This is the third tiger death in Pench, including two cubs and a tigress.
With the latest death, Maharashtra lost its 12th tiger while nationally, according to the database established by Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), the tiger toll has mounted to 56, of which 15 cases are suspected to be of poaching, as they involved seizure of body parts.
The official website of NTCA, www.tigernet.nic.in has been defunct for the past 5-6 months, and hence further data and information on tiger mortality is not available immediately.
