Seoni: A tiger was discovered dead in a forest in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh, on Wednesday, according to a forest department official.

The adult tiger was found by villagers in the Gopalganj beat of the Seoni Forest Range around 1 pm, according to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) HS Mishra.

He said the tiger was found panting and struggling to walk near a pond and grazing land. Forest department staff quickly notified their seniors about its condition.

A rescue team, along with veterinarians and senior officials, arrived at the scene and found the tiger lying motionless. After an examination, it was declared dead, Mishra said.

A post-mortem on the fully-grown big cat will be conducted on Thursday, the DFO said.

It looks like the tiger died due to natural causes, but the exact reason would be known only after receiving the post-mortem report, he said.

The forest where the big cat was found dead is located outside the Pench Tiger Reserve.

(with agency input)