By IANS
Kolkata : A Royal Bengal tiger was spotted dead near a railway bridge in north Bengal Monday.
The incident took place near Dolong Railway Bridge between Ghokshadanga and Falakata railway station in Cooch Behar district.
"After primary investigation we came to know that the tiger possibly came out of the Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary and was somehow run over by a train. I have already sent our officials to the spot and asked them to prepare a complete report determining the exact cause of this incident," West Bengal Forest Minister Ananta Roy told IANS.
Local residents found the tiger lying dead near the railway tracks and informed the forest department officials.
Roy said that in last few years it has been observed that there is a change in the nature of tigers and now they frequently come out of the forest area.
"There's no shortage of food for tigers in the Jaldapara wildlife sanctuary. The West Bengal Forest Department is trying to find out why they often come to areas inhabited by human beings in north Bengal," he said.
Recently, a full-grown leopard was found dead in the Phulbari-Patan tea estate near Siliguri, about 600 km from the state capital.
According to forest department officials, the leopard presumably died from poisoning as no external injury marks were found on its body.