A partially decomposed carcass of a tigress was found Friday in Rajasthan's Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary.

According to forest officials, the tigress had most probably died of natural causes. They ruled out poaching as the reason for its death.

An autopsy of the carcass has been undertaken, officials at the park in Bharatpur, around 170 km from here, said.

The tigress, around seven-years of age, could have also died due to snake bite, they said.
 
A three-member committee would go into the reason for the tigress' death.

"At first instance and looking at the partially decomposed body, it seems that the tigress had died 72 hours ago," a senior police official told IANS on the phone. 

Wildlife experts say it could be the same tigress, which was first spotted by a foreign tourist around four years ago.

The tigress is believed to have strayed into the bird sanctuary from the Ranthambore National Park covering a distance of around 150 km.

Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve has been in the news in the recent past due to its reported dwindling tiger population.

According to the 2003 wildlife census, there were 25-28 tigers in Sariska, while the 2004 census showed the tiger population to have declined to 16-18.

However, after November 2004, no tiger was sighted in Sariska.