Tiger cubs in Wayanad killed in tiger attack, confirm forest officials

Wayanad (Kerala), Feb 6 (PTI) Two tiger cubs found dead in Wayanad district were killed by another tiger, forest officials said on Thursday, citing injuries consistent with an attack.

The two tiger cubs, both about one year old, were found dead in the Mayyakolli area of the Thathoor section, Kurichiat Range, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, on Wednesday at around noon by forest watchers.

The carcass of another tiger was spotted in a coffee plantation under the Vythiri Forest Division, but its cause of death has not yet been ascertained.

The male cub was found dead on the road, and during combing operations in the area, the female cub was discovered around 50 metres away.

"Both the male and female cubs had injuries on their necks, and the female had multiple injuries on her body. Prima facie, the injuries appeared to have been caused by an attack from another tiger," according to an official release here.

A post-mortem was conducted on Thursday on both cubs, following all protocols set by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

"The cause of death of the male tiger was found to be a vertebral fracture and severing of the spinal cord, while the cause of death of the female was a skull fracture and injury to the brain. Both indicate an attack by another tiger, and bite marks from the tiger were clearly visible during the post-mortem," the release said.

It further noted that such attacks on young cubs by adult male tigers during the mating season are common in many feline species, including tigers.

Meanwhile, the expert committee appointed to investigate the deaths of both tiger cubs at Mayyakolli, as well as the tiger found dead at Meppady, visited the sites of occurrence, oversaw the post-mortem, and conducted an investigation into the matter.

WCCB Wildlife Inspector D Adimallaiah visited the site of occurrence along with the expert committee and attended the post-mortem procedures. PTI