"The full-grown big cat was found dead near a drain in Jamni jungle in Tadoba this morning. Prima facie it appears that it died of snake bite," said Chief Conservator of Forest and TATR Field Director Virendra Tiwari.
He said the tigress was pregnant as revealed in her postmortem conducted in the afternoon.
"Veterinary doctor P D Kadukar noticed symptoms of snake bite. The tigress was carrying as the vet found four foetuses during the postmortem. Some samples were collected from the carcass and are being sent to forensic lab to assess exact cause of death. The carcass was cremated in the jungle," Tiwari said.