By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: A mutilated carcass of a Royal Bengal Tiger was recovered from a sandbar along the Gabharu River in Assam’s Sonitpur district on Wednesday, prompting a probe into suspected poaching.
The carcass, with its tail and all four limbs severed, was found near Kochgaon under Thelamara Police Station limits, forest officials said.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Biswa Jyoti Das said the condition of the carcass suggested that valuable body parts may have been removed before the remains were disposed of in the river.
“The carcass appears to have drifted downstream several days after the animal’s death. However, the manner in which the body was mutilated strongly suggests foul play,” Das said.
Following the recovery, teams from the West Sonitpur Forest Division, Tezpur Forest Range and local police reached the site. Veterinary experts and wildlife officials conducted a post-mortem examination and collected samples for forensic analysis.
Officials said the tiger measured approximately five feet in length.
After the examination, the carcass was cremated on the banks of the Gabharu River in accordance with prescribed wildlife disposal protocols.
The forest department has launched an investigation and is awaiting the forensic report to determine the exact cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the incident. Officials suspect the animal may have been killed by poachers, who then removed valuable body parts before disposing of the carcass in the river.