19 Nov 2023

NAGPUR: Tadoba's legendary tigress Maya (T-12), who ruled the park for 13 years, is feared dead. Foresters who launched a combing operation to search for the missing tigress found a skeleton in compartment number 82 on Saturday morning.

The remains of a tiger skeleton scattered over a 100m radius were collected for DNA analysis by wildlife veterinarians and biologists for analysis.

The body parts were in a very advanced stage of decomposition and not fit for autopsy.

Well-known wildlife cinematographer and filmmaker Subbiah Nallamuthu, who filmed Maya and contributed to TOI's Tiger Anthem, said, "The body parts are of a tigress and it could be Maya. How it happened is a mystery but it could be a fallout of a territorial fight. Maya will always be in our memories."

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