Tadoba tiger turns cannibal, consumes flesh of another

On Monday, two tiger carcasses were discovered in the Kolsa forest range of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. The remains of a two-year-old cub showed partial consumption of flesh at the rear, while the carcass of the other tiger, a six-year-old, exhibited critical injury marks a short distance away.

Autopsies conducted on the carcasses showed the two big cats were possibly killed by another tiger after a fierce, bloody territorial fight, and the cub was cannibalised.

While the six-year-old tiger was identified as T-142, park officials zeroed in on the two-year-old as a sub-adult cub of tigress T-92. Autopsy reports and circumstantial evidence pointed to the involvement of a dominant male tiger – T-192. Deputy director (core) of the reserve, Nandkishore Kale, said T-192 was captured on camera traps in the same area. “We’re ascertaining if it’s the same tiger that killed the other two,” he added.

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Tadoba Tragedy:

Kale said staff in Panghat protection hut, where the tigers died, had witnessed fierce tiger clashes over two days. The area is a non-tourism zone. “This seems to be a case of cannibalism, but the circumstances under which the incident happened needs to be probed, ” he said.

Bombay Natural History Society director Kishor Rithe said, “Cannibalism is a natural phenomenon, where tigers target cubs not sired by them. However, tigers feeding on them is something that needs to be studied. This happens in parks, where tiger density is high.”

Aditya Joshi of Wildlife Conservation Trust claimed tigers weren’t habitual cannibals, but could turn so in certain circumstances. “When one tiger is killed by another in a territorial fight, the victor could eat a portion of the vanquished,” he said.

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