The Nilgiris: Two male cubs were found in the vicinity of where a tigress had died yesterday (Friday) in the Singara range, Masinagudi, Mudumalai tiger reserve. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department staff rescued the cubs on Saturday morning while investigating the death of the tigress.
The department staffers found the decaying carcass of a tigress and the postmortem is to be undertaken. There is an indication that the tigress could have died of poisoning, as it was in the same region that five wild dogs (dholes) had been poisoned two months ago.
The dholes had fed on a wild boar. According to sources, wild boars are often poisoned ever since a tiger killed a tribal woman in Masinagudi in July.
Following the death of the tigress, the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA) had been alerted. Officials said that they have to wait for forensic reports to get the real cause of the tigress' death.
"The teeth and nails of the tigress are intact, so we are ruling out the foul play here. But we have to wait for the report", said Deputy Director of the tiger reserve Srikanth.
While investigating the tigress death, the forest department officials found two tiger cubs, both male, which they estimated could be three weeks old. They have informed NTCA in this regard.
"We should congratulate our forest team to have rescued the cubs. We have informed NTCA. We will await NTCA's direction as to what we need to do with the cubs," he mentioned.
It is also learnt that the NTCA has taken the decision to rehabilitate and release the cubs in the wild again. They would be taken care for a period of at least two years after which they will be released in the forest.
"We have had a discussion with the Mudumalai Field Director about the rescued cubs. There are NTCA guidelines for the orphaned cubs. Since Mudumalai has two wildlife veterinarians - Dr Rain and Dr Rajesh - we could take care of the cubs and rewilden them when they are two and a half years old" said NTCA, DIG, N S Murli.
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