Bengaluru, June 27 -- A tigress and her four cubs were found dead under suspicious circumstances in the core area of Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MM Hills) in the Chamarajaranagar district on Thursday, a forest official said.

"The five carcasses were found at 11am during a routine patrol by beat staff in Hanur taluk. It is suspected that the big cats may have consumed poisoned meat, possibly placed at the spot to target them," said T Heera Lal, Chamarajanagar chief conservator of forests.

"Prima facie it seems a case of food poisoning. The tigress, aged between 8 to 10 years, may have killed a cow and returned later to feed on the carcass, which could have been laced with poison. The cubs were around two to three years old -one...