COIMBATORE: A female sloth bear was found dead in Masinagudi Forest Range in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) on Sunday.
The frontline staff of the forest department noticed the carcass during routine perambulation and informed officials, who rushed to the spot along with MTR veterinarian K Rajesh Kumar.
A post-mortem was carried out, which revealed the animal to have starved to death due to some ailment. “The sloth bear is around ten years old. It became weak and was unable to find its food due to age-related ailment,” said an official.
After the post-mortem, the officials took away its skin, nails, and teeth before leaving the carcass in the same spot for other scavengers to consume.