An old male tiger – BTR-63 – has died in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, taking the toll of the big cat in Madhya Pradesh to 21 since last May.
“BTR-63 died in an enclosure, where he was being treated yesterday. He was 12-13 years old,” said Raman Shrivastava, the Reserve Field Director. The animal was unwell for the past two years and had been put in the enclosure in November for treatment.
BTR-63 was a major attraction of the park, he said. Another tiger died at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve on April 10 and some activists had alleged that it died because of the overdose of sedative, while being tranquilised after it mauled two forest officials. Forest officials had denied this, saying that it died because of the injuries sustained during a territorial fight with another tiger.