Bettiah: The steady rise in tiger numbers at Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) suffered a jolt on Wednesday, as a one-and-a-half-year-old tigress was found dead near the Pandai river, around 5 km from the forest area under Manguraha range in West Champaran district.The sub-adult tigress had been keeping forest officials on toes over the past few days, frequently straying into human habitation. It was being tracked by officials using drone surveillance and routine patrolling. It was last seen on Tuesday afternoon moving back into the forest, but by Wednesday, it was again spotted near Sisai village, outside the forest boundary—this time, motionless.Forest conservator (CF) of VTR, Gaurav Ojha, said when officials used a drone camera to capture close-up visuals, the sub-adult tigress showed no movement. A patrolling team was immediately rushed to the spot, where it was found dead.“The carcass has been sent for postmortem, and viscera samples will be preserved and sent to Dehradun for further examination. Prima facie, the sub-adult tigress appears to have died due to illness,” Ojha said.He further added that the tigress was at an age when it typically separates from its mother to establish her own territory. It is suspected that the tigress may have failed to secure territory or hunt effectively, leading to prolonged starvation and weakness.“The exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the arrival of the postmortem and laboratory reports,” Ojha added.The incident casts a shadow over an otherwise encouraging trend. As per official records, VTR had 54 tigers in 2022, and the population has been steadily increasing, with forest authorities estimating the number could rise to around 70 in the upcoming census.
