A male tiger was found shot dead in Bandipur National Park (BNP) located in the Niligiri Biosphere in Karnataka indicating the prowl of poachers in the high density of tiger population in the tiger reserve. According to forest officials, the incident was reported from Gopanahalla in Maddur range on Sunday. The tiger aged about 10 and well-built and suspected to be killed by poachers. According to officials, the animal's internal organs were intact but the bullet had broken the vertebral column. The samples of the viscera, including fragments of the broken bones, portion of the skin with the entry and exit wounds, were sent to the forensic laboratory.
According to honorary wildlife warden Naveen Kumar, the tiger was on the trench when it was shot at by the poachers. “It fell into the trench and dragged itself for a distance before collapsing in a puddle of water,” he said.
Senior officials, who visited the spot, suspect the handiwork of locals, who illegally hunt deer and wild boar for meat, and may have shot the tiger when it emerged suddenly from the trench.
Karnataka which has highest number tiger population in the country has so far reported 11 tiger deaths of which four were due to infighting, one of natural causes, and details are awaited with regard to four other deaths. Out of 400 tigers in the State Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves account for nearly 180 to 200 tigers.