Jun 27, Kathmandu - India has launched an investigation after an endangered tigress and her four cubs were found dead in a protected forest in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

The state's Forest Minister Eshwara Khandre said the "unnatural" death of the wildlife was "extremely sad and painful" and that a team had been formed to investigate.

According to the local media, the forest officials suspect that they died due to poisoning.

According to The Times of India, the tigress had killed a cow a few days ago. Forest officials suspect that the cow's dead body was poisoned in anger over the cow, which is why the tigress and her cubs died.

“We have ordered an investigation into whether the tiger died due to negligence or any other reason and to take criminal action against the culprits,” Khandre said.

Continuous conservation efforts have led to a steady recovery in the tiger population in India.

According to the latest count, there are over 3,600 tigers in India, which is 75 percent of the world’s tiger population.

But declining habitat and human settlement expansion have encroached on tiger habitat or affected their livelihoods, and government data shows that over 600 people have died in tiger attacks in the last decade.