A tiger cub was found dead in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in Madhya Pradesh's Umaria district on Tuesday with forest officials suspecting territorial fight as the reason behind the feline's death.

The carcass of the cub, aged 3 to 4 months, was found near Jutta pond in BTR's Panpatha buffer area in the morning, forest range officer SS Shrivastava said.?

After receiving the information, senior officials reached the spot and inspected the area, he said.

Shrivastava said prima facie, it seems the cub's death was caused due to the territorial fight with another big cat.? Patrolling teams were inspecting the BTR areas where tiger cubs roam around to ensure their safety, he said.?

According to the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state of the country.

Madhya Pradesh has a number of tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura and Panna.