"We found the male tiger cub dead on November 16 evening. The cub was with (mother) tigress when it was apparently killed by an adult tiger in the region," KTR deputy Director O P Tiwari said.
He said that the adult feline killed the cub to hasten mating with the tigress.
"As long as cubs are reared by a tigress, the feline doesn't go into heat. Therefore, the tiger killed the cub," he said.
"Usually November to January is the mating period of big cats," he said.
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Eight tigers have been reportedly killed in and around
Pench in last eight months.
It said that any tiger safari has to be in accordance with guidelines formulated by the NTCA, in the line of Central Zoo Authority guidelines. The state government has been asked to take necessary action in this regard.
"The state government is violating green norms to promote unlawful tourism inside the tiger reserve. It may pose danger for tigers living inside them," claimed Ajay Dubey, wild life activist, adding "Madhya Pradesh government must take action against guilty officials".
There are six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh--Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay-Dubri and Pench-- which have at least 257 big cats.
While the tiger population in the country was estimated at 1,706 in 2010, it had risen to 2,226 in 2014. Madhya Pradesh ranks third--after Karnataka and Uttarakhand--in tiger population in the country.