Chhattisgarh: Young tiger found dead in 'territorial fight' in Achanakmar Tiger Reserve

RAIPUR: A young male tiger was found dead inside Chhattisgarh’s Achanakmar Tiger Reserve (ATR), with forest officials attributing the death to a violent territorial clash with another male. The carcass was spotted on Jan 25 during routine patrolling in the Kuderpani area of Sarsdol under the Achanakmar range. It was a male tiger was around two-year old. The post-mortem findings pointed to an inter-tiger fight: the neck bone was found fractured, and distinct bite marks were recorded on the lower neck. According to forest department officials, the staff secured the spot and informed senior officers, following which a post-mortem was conducted the next day by a veterinary team in the presence of a committee constituted under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) standard protocol."Field evidence including broken undergrowth, scratch marks, hair and scat — also indicated a struggle at the site. The department further claimed that hair believed to be from the rival tiger was recovered from the dead tiger’s claws, reinforcing the conclusion of a territorial duel. The signs of struggle indicated that the young tiger growled for long against the adult tiger's force," said officials.The carcass was cremated after the post-mortem in the presence of officials and experts and it was a clear case of territorial fight between the wild cats, said Mansoor Khan, member of a MoEFCC committee, who was present at the spot. Locals said that the death came to light only after camera-trap footage — installed as part of an ongoing tiger estimation exercise, prompting a search operation.The discovery has also fueled scrutiny of ATR’s tiger protection force and field staff, with questions being raised about patrol logs, camera-trap checks and the speed of incident reporting. The department, for its part, has maintained that there is no sign of poaching, noting that the tiger’s teeth, nails and other body parts were found intact.ATR has seen a rise in tiger presence in recent years, helped by natural dispersal through the neighbouring Kanha–Bandhavgarh corridor, improved habitat and breeding success.