By IANS,
Jaipur : A four-year-old tiger was found dead Friday in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park and wildlife officials suspect it could have died fighting with another male tiger.
The big cat’s body was noticed by forest officials at the park, over 175 km from here.
A post mortem on the body and investigations would be carried out, a forest official said.
With the increase in tiger population, Ranthambore is now grappling with a different kind of a problem.
According to a census by the state forest department in 2009, there were 40 tigers in and around Ranthambore National Park and Sawai Madhopur wildlife sanctuary. The census, conducted in the core division from April 30 to May 10, 2009, revealed there were 14 males, 16 females and 10 cubs. The increase in population has now led to clashes between the wild cats over territory.
Ranthambore, situated in Sawai Madhopur district, covers an area of around 400 sq km and together with the Sawai Man Singh sanctuary, it is around 500 sq km.
Ranthambore National Park was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1957 and in 1974 it gained the protection of ‘Project Tiger’. It got the status of national park in 1981.