New Delhi: The mysterious death of a tigress and the disappearance of her three cubs has triggered panic in Chandrapur district.

The incident occurred in the Ratnapur range under the Navargaon sub-area of Sindewahi tehsil, where the tigress was discovered in a maize field on Sunday. It sent shockwaves in the region.

What happened

As per information, the tigress, aged around 9–10 years, had been hiding in the field with her three cubs after killing a bull. On Sunday around 11:30 am, when farmer Mangesh Tondphode went to his field, he spotted the dead bull. The farmer suspected that some wild animal had mauled it, and so he inspected the entire area.

Tondphode found that the tigress and her three cubs were hiding in the maize crop. He immediately informed the forest department and local villagers.

The villagers are in a state of panic.

As the news spread, hordes of villagers gathered at the spot Amid the growing noise and chaos, the tigress tried to move her cubs to a safer location. The forest department team also attempted to move them back towards the forest. In the confusion, the three cubs got scattered in different directions, and the tigress was separated from them.

The tigress attacked forest guard

As the big cat was separated from her cubs, she got agitated and attacked forest guard Sajjan Parekar. Parekar suffered severe injuries to his hands and legs and was initially given first aid before being taken via Sindewahi to the district hospital in Chandrapur, where his condition is reported to be serious.

After attacking the forest guard, the tigress moved towards the Ratnapur–Shankarpat route and hid in farmer Damodar Lodhe’s paddy field. The crowd swelled in the area. An hour later, around 1 pm, the tigress was found dead. The exact cause of her death could not be ascertained. Forest officials said the reason will be determined only after the post-mortem examination.

The three cubs are reportedly around 6 to 7 months old, and at this age, they are not capable of hunting on their own, putting their survival at huge risk. An investigation into the matter is underway, while fear continues to prevail among the local villagers.