Bargarh/Bhubaneswar: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has sought report from the Odisha forest department on the death of an animal, suspected to be that of a tiger, at Damodarpada jungle near Khajuria village under Bhatli Forest Range in Bargarh district.
The NTCA has also sought report on the steps taken by the forest department on the incident and directed to follow all the standard operating procedure (SOP) in this regard.
It is pertinent to mention here that the forest department had swung into action after decomposed carcass of an animal was recovered from a pit inside the jungle on October 28. Initially, it was suspected that the carcass was of a Royal Bengal tiger.
However, an expert team of the forest department revealed that the carcass was of a leopard and not tiger.
While the exact reason behind the death is yet to be ascertained, the remains of the animal have already been sent to the Wildlife Institute in Dehradun for examination.