Guwahati: A female Royal Bengal tiger, captured by forest department officials at Dhing in Nagaon district, died at the Assam State Zoo on Saturday.
The tiger was brought to the Assam state zoo after being tranquilized and captured in the area on Friday.
While the exact cause of death is yet to be determined through a post-mortem examination, sources speculate that excessive sedation during the capture process might have contributed to her death.
According to sources, the tiger was captured on Friday and was brought to the Assam State Zoo on the same day.
However, on Saturday, the tiger died at the Assam state zoo in Guwahati, said a source.
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The tiger had ventured out from a nearby wildlife sanctuary two months ago, due to recent floods, and had attacked humans and livestock in the area, causing widespread fear among local residents in Dhing.
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Northeast Now made multiple attempts to contact Assam State Zoo Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Ashwini Kumar for comment but was unable to reach him. Repeated phone calls to his number went unanswered.
The untimely death of the tiger has sparked concerns about the procedures followed by the Forest Department during its capture and subsequent handling. Questions have been raised regarding the department’s protocols for tranquilizing and transporting the animal.
Conservationists are demanding a thorough investigation into the incident, seeking to determine whether proper safety measures were in place and if all necessary precautions were taken to ensure the tiger’s well-being.
Another question is whether the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) effectively monitored the situation and issued relevant directives.