Bhopal, July 5 (IANS) Yet another tigress has been found dead in Madhya Pradesh, amidst a hue and cry over the decline of the feline population in the state. The animal was poisoned to avenge the death of a villager’s cattle, officials said.
The decomposed body of the six-year-old tigress was recovered from Ari range in Seoni district of Madhya Pradesh Friday.

After initial investigations, forest officials have concluded that the feline was poisoned to death using pesticide by a villager to avenge the death of his cattle. “Consumption of poison has been confirmed as the reason behind the death of the tigress whose putrefied body was recovered from Ari range in Seoni district Friday,” a forest official told IANS.

The tigress had killed a cow and a calf near the village. P.S. Champawat, Seoni divisional forest officer (DFO), said that they had zeroed in on a villager and were questioning him.

“The stomach content of the tigress and viscera of the cow have been sent to the forensic laboratory in Sagar for identifying the poison used. We are also interrogating the suspect,” he said.

Champawat said no wounds were found on the tigress’s body and admitted that attacks on cattle were being reported from the village for the past few days.

Recently, villagers had reported the presence of a tigress and a cub in the same area.