With empty stomach this aged tigress could not have afforded to give any fight to the bison and her tragic end was inevitable.
Dr Ajay Kumar a renowned vet of the Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park Ormanjhi, who was a part of the 5 member team of vet docs which conducted the autopsy of this tigress in National Park Betla on Sunday where near road number 2 she was found lying dead said, “Her stomach was empty. There was nothing in it. However, she had five quills of the porcupine which were lodged in her lower jaw, sternum region and neck rendering her life further miserable.”
What Dr Ajay said has been corroborated by the Ranger Betla Prem Prasad who also said, “This aged tigress was too incapable of going for any big prey and as such was depending upon small rodents like porcupine.”
The ranger further said there was no kill or leftover of her prey but her presence, pug mark and camera trapping all were evident since November last year.
Dr Ajay said her gum was swollen. Her canines were just half an inch when it should have been 3 inches long. Her pre molar and molar teeth were in a State of utter decay as well. The left eye of the tigress had hematoma which meant few blood clots and the right portion of the spinal cord had the lacerated wound and that emanated neuro genic shocks that took her toll of life added Dr Ajay.
He said the major death hastening factor was the severe impacting of her spinal chord as it is guessed this tigress must have been flung in air say up to 10 feet in air by the bullish bison in sheer anger and then this aged tigress fell on the ground with a big thud and that was the end of her.
A tiger or tigress loses its supremacy if it has dental attrition and this tigress had had this symptom most visible reminded the vet doctor.
He said the temptation of any baby bison to this tigress just proved her tragic undoing as the herd of the bison took it as a challenge and in the fight between the aged tigress and the militant bison the tigress had to finally lick the dust.
The 5 vet docs who performed the autopsy were Ajay Kumar, Jojo, M Kalam, C G Deb and Hareylal Mahto.