2nd July, 2006

The dead tigress was found intact on Tuesday morning by a Forest Department patrol party in Panna National Park, 10 km from Hinota in Amdara nullah. There was no kill, trap or electricity line nearby. The authorities immediately made the matter public and should be congratulated for being so open about this tragedy. A post mortem is being conducted.

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Tiger found dead in Panna Park
The Pioneer, Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Pioneer News Service, Bhopal

A tiger was found dead at the Panna National Park on Tuesday. Forest officials left for Panna to collect the body of the tiger. Officials maintained that though no marks were found on the body, the actual cause of death would be known only after the post mortem. A tiger cub had been found dead at the Panna National Park only a week back.

Additional PCCF Wildlife HS Pabla, while speaking to the Pioneer, confirmed that a body of a tiger was found on Tuesday morning at the Panna Range in the Panna National Park. Park officials including the director and deputy director rushed to the spot to recover the tiger's body.

According to preliminary reports from Panna the body of the tiger did not bear any injury marks. Officials, however, did not rule out the possibility of poaching with poisoning as a possible cause of death.

Panna National Park had shot into prominence last year with forest department officials and independent wildlife experts disputing the findings of the annual wildlife census vis-à-vis the number of tigers in the park. The forest department had dismissed the contentions of the independent wildlife experts but had stepped up anti poaching operations in the districts of Chattarpur and Panna.

The forest department and police had been working closely and in fact a review meeting of anti poaching operations had been held by the PCCF only last week. The police had met with some success in anti poaching operations and had nabbed some key aides of dreaded poacher Sansarchand from the area."