Sub-adult tiger carcass recovered in Kaziranga; departmental elephant dies after prolonged illness
Guwahati: The carcass of a sub-adult tiger was recovered on Friday from the Teteliguri area of Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), forest officials said.
A senior forest official said that the carcass, estimated to be around two days old, was recovered from the Teteliguri area under the Kohora Range of Kaziranga.
He said that a committee had been constituted by the Director of KNPTR Sonali Ghosh to conduct a post-mortem examination and dispose of the carcass in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prescribed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
According to the preliminary findings, the tiger died from injuries sustained during a fight with other animals.
On several previous occasions, tiger carcasses have been recovered from different parts of KNPTR.
Preliminary findings in most of these cases, based on post-mortem examinations, have indicated that infighting among tigers was the cause of death.
The official also said that, in another incident, a departmental elephant named ‘Krishna’ died on Thursday evening inside the Western Range of Bagori in KNPTR.
The female elephant had been suffering from prolonged ailments and was also visually impaired, he added.
According to the official, a team of veterinarians from Kaziranga National Park and the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) conducted a post-mortem examination on Friday.
As per the preliminary report, the elephant died due to hepato-renal failure associated with old age, he said.
Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, recognised as India’s seventh UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the country’s famed ‘Big Five’ wildlife species.
According to the latest available population estimates, the park shelters 2,613 greater one-horned rhinoceroses (2022 census), 104 Bengal tigers (2022 census), 1,228 Asian elephants (2024 estimate), 2,565 wild water buffaloes (2022 census) and 1,129 eastern swamp deer (2022 census).
Spread across the districts of Golaghat, Nagaon, Sonitpur and Biswanath, the national park generated revenue of more than Rs 10.90 crore during 2024-25, compared to over Rs 8.81 crore in 2023-24.
The KNPTR comprises three forest divisions — the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division (Bokakhat), the Biswanath Wildlife Division (Biswanath Chariali) and the Nagaon Wildlife Division (Nagaon).