In Sunderbans,crocodile devours tiger

“I had earlier seen a tiger being attacked by a crocodile in 1999. But so far,this is the first incident of a tiger being killed by a crocodile,” Subrat Mukherjee,Field Director of Sunderbans Tiger Reserve told The Indian Express over the phone. He said the incident took place at a marshy place which gets submerged in high tide.

“A hind-leg of the tiger has been taken away and femur of the other hind-leg which is the largest bone of the body is missing. The tail and the genitals also seem to have been eaten away,” said the STR field director.

Usually a crocodile attacks from behind. The post-mortem examination reveals 25 marks of piercing of crocodile teeth in the tiger’s body,said Forest officials.

They further said the injuries indicate struggle between the animals. The officials who spotted the body informed the crocodile must have left the spot after it could no longer sink its teeth in the tiger’s body.

Like Tigers,Sunderbans have a huge population of crocodiles and the marshy waters are ideal for them. “We have a huge population of crocodiles in Sunderbans. We even have a sanctuary at Bhagwatput where crocodile’s eggs after hatching are released in the wild,” said Mukherjee.

“This is a very rare incident. In five decades of my association with Sunderbans,I have never heard a tiger being killed and partially devoured by a crocodile,” said Biswajit Roychowdhury a member of International Union For Conservation of Nature.