Unknown vehicle knocks down two-year female tiger cub on highway in Andhra

Sirigiripadu (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 23 (PTI) A two-year-old female tiger cub was found dead on the national highway here in Palnadu district on Tuesday after being knocked down by an unknown vehicle, a Forest Department official said.

"Between 7 am and 7.30 am today, (on) NH - 565 from Markapur to Macherla towards Hyderabad, a road accident occurred. In that accident, one vehicle hit a tiger, and it died. It is a very unfortunate incident," the official told reporters at the accident site.

According to the Forest Department, the dead cub was found near Bandla Vagu area on NH 565.

Following the postmortem as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on tiger death, the cause of death was confirmed to be road accident, said Mohammed Abdul Rawoof, deputy director, Project Tiger, Markapur in a press release.

After the post mortem, the tiger carcass was completely incinerated as per NTCA SOPs while a wildlife case has been booked and further investigation is going on, said Rawoof.

Further, he noted that a committee has been formed with wildlife experts, veterinarians and project tiger authority to look into the incident.

Meanwhile, Shantipriya Pandey, Additional principal chief conservator of forests (APPCF, Wildlife) told PTI that the department has zeroed in on five vehicles to identify the one involved in the accident.

She observed that underpasses were created for animals to avoid the road but noted that the tiger cub somehow ventured onto the road which was widened recently, adding that a tiger roadkill is rare. PTI STH SA