A high-level committee constituted by the Andhra Pradesh government has concluded that the tiger whose carcass was found on July 31 in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) was killed by poachers, while the tiger that died on July 29 succumbed to natural causes.

The committee, headed by retired IFS officer P. Mallikharjuna Rao, submitted that seven persons illegally hunted the animal using a country-made firearm, removed its four legs to extract claws, and concealed the carcass nearly two kilometres away from the actual crime scene for about three weeks. Officials recovered seven of the tiger's 18 claws, while efforts are continuing to recover the remaining claws from the accused.

Addressing a press conference at Aranya Bhavan in Mangalagiri in Guntur district on Thursday, Mr. Mallikharjuna Rao, Advisor to the Government on Forest Development Activities, Rahul Pandey, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Member-Convenor of the committee, and P. V. Chalapathi Rao, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, said the post-mortem confirmed that the animal was an adult male tiger aged between four and six years. It sustained a bullet injury between the abdomen and chest, leading to its death about three weeks before the carcass was discovered.

Committee members told The Hindu that the accused had entered the forest to hunt wild boars near a village in the Racherla section of Gundlakamma Range under Giddalur Division when they encountered the tiger and shot it. Except for the removal of the legs, no other organs were found to have been taken. The police and forest officials recovered a country-made gun from the accused, while the bullet was not traced in the body of the animal..

The seven accused have been arrested and remanded.

The committee said investigations are continuing and warned of strict action against anyone involved in harming tigers or violating forest protection laws.

Published - August 06, 2026 09:45 pm IST