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Another tigress dies under unclear circumstances in India
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-06-04 16:25

NEW DELHI -- In a continued spate of tiger deaths in the country, another adult tigress died under unclear circumstances in the Van Vihar National Park in Central Indian Bhopal in central India region recently, reported local paper Mail Today Thursday.

Wildlife officials insist the animal died under mysterious circumstances, said the paper.

"Around 17:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the tigress, Era, was noticed vomiting in her enclosure. By 21:00 p.m. at night, her caretaker reported she was dead," the paper quoted H. S. Pabla, state principal chief conservator of forest, as saying.

The tigress had no history of illness. A three-member team of doctors conducted a postmortem on Era, said the paper.

According to estimates by non-government organizations, six tigers have been killed by poachers so far this year.

The Indian government raised an alarm about the dwindling number of tigers in the wild last year, saying there were only around 1,400 tigers and tigresses left in the country.