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Tiger killed in territorial fight in Wayanad wildlife sanctuary
K R Rajeev | TNN | Jan 20, 2016, 09.17 PM IST

KOZHIKODE: A male tiger was found dead in the Muthanga range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) on Wednesday.

Forest officials said that the around 7- year old male tiger died due to wounds sustained in a territorial fight with another male tiger.

Forest staff found the body at Kadukakuni, not far away from a settlement, when they ventured to the forest at 6 am in the morning.

Following the sighting, senior forest department officials including state chief wildlife warden G Harikumar and chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Pramod G. Krishnan, who were camping in Wayanad, and WWS wildlife warden P Dhanesh Kumar reached the spot.

S Heeralal, Assistant Wildlife Warden, WWS, said that the forest staff heard load roars of the tiger which emerged victorious in the territorial fight when they went to recover the carcass.
The postmortem was conducted at the forest lab at Kuppadi as per NTCA guidelines.

Forest veterinary surgeon Dr V I Jijimon who conducted the post-mortem said that the tiger which weighed 320 kg had sustained severe injuries in the fight.

"The big cat had sustained severe injuries in a ferocious territorial fight with another tiger. The death was caused due to a deep bite injury in its neck. The foreleg of the animal was also fractured. The fight could have taken place some 40 hours back and the death had happened 12 hours prior to the recovery of the body"" he said.

WWS wildlife warden Dhanesh Kumar said that camera traps have been fixed at the site where the body was found and patrolling has been intensified in the area.

The WWS is the state's prime tiger habitat accounting for 76 of the total of 136 tigers in the state as per the status of tigers in India, 2014 report.

Tigers fiercely guard their territory normally spread across 10 sq km. It is natural for territorial fights to break out between competing tigers in which stronger animals drive out the weak and older tigers outside their territories. Reply