COIMBATORE: Carcasses of two tigresses were found near Avalanche dam in the Nilgiris on Saturday. Forest officials consider the deaths to be mysterious.

One of the animals was found lying dead near Emerald in a river flowing into Avalanche dam and another was spotted in the nearby forest area.

On receiving information from villagers, a team of forest department staff led by S Gowtham, District Forest Officer (Nilgiris Division) rushed to the spot to conduct an examination.

“The tigress could have died two days ago. There were no visible injuries on their carcasses suggesting that they did not die due to infighting.

However the reason for their death will be known only after a post-mortem, which is to be conducted on Sunday,” said an official.

With this deaths, the total death count of tigers has gone up to six just in the last one month alone in the Nilgiris. On 17th August, a tigress was found dead in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and two cubs in Sigur range.

Earlier, a seven-year-old tiger was spotted dead in a private tea estate in Naduvattam.

Forest department officials then attributed the death of two adult tigers due to infighting, while the cubs apparently couldn’t survive after being abandoned by their mother.