Bettiah: The carcass of a tiger was discovered early on Wednesday in a sugarcane field within the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), prompting an investigation by forest authorities. Local herders alerted officials after spotting the animal near Purainia village in the Manpur police station area.
A team led by Ranger Sunil Kumar Pathak reached the site to assess the situation. While initial reports suggested the tiger may have died in a confrontation with another tiger, forest officials are also investigating the possibility of electrocution from a wire fence erected by a farmer to protect crops. The carcass has been transported to Manguraha for a post-mortem examination, and the precise cause of death will be confirmed once the results are available.
The incident comes amid growing attention to Bihar’s tiger population. Official census records show that the VTR, Bihar’s only tiger reserve, has seen a sevenfold increase in tigers over the past 15 years, rising from eight in 2010 to 54 in 2022. A nationwide tiger census currently underway suggests that the reserve’s population may now number around 70, highlighting a notable conservation success despite ongoing challenges of human-wildlife conflict.
