Nilgris (Tamil Nadu) [India], March 6 : A male tiger was found dead in the Edakkodu field area of Nilakottai Forest Reserve in Tamil Nadu's Nilgris district under Vilangur Police Station, officials said on Thursday.
According to the Forest Officer of the Nelakottai Forest Reserve in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, the big cat was found dead during field inspection on Wednesday, and a post-mortem was conducted on Thursday as per the guidelines issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The post-mortem was carried out under the supervision of the Deputy Director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Udalai Division. It was conducted by a team comprising Assistant Forest Veterinary Officer Rajesh Kumar, Assistant Forest Officers Ajesh Mohandas and Induja Maya, along with NGO workers, public representatives, and forest officials.
The post-mortem report confirmed that the deceased tiger was a 10-year-old male that sustained head injuries following an attack by another tiger, said officials.
As per per the official website, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is located in the Nilgiris District at the tri-junction of three states, viz, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Spread over 688.59 sq.km, the tiger reserve plays an unique role by forming part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, the first Biosphere Reserve in India, declared during 1986.
It has a common boundary with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) on the West, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on the North, and the Nilgiris Division on the South and East and Gudalur Forest Division on the South West, together forming a large conservation landscape for flagship species such as Tiger and Asian Elephant.
As per Forest Survey of India assessment (2009), the forest cover in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is very dense forest - 47.05 km, moderately dense forest - 214.98 km, and open forest - 56.16 km, as per details mentioned on the website of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.