NEW DELHI, June 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - India has launched an investigation after an endangered tigress and her four cubs were found dead in a protected forest in the southern state of Karnataka, an official said Friday.

State forest minister Eshwar Khandre said the "unnatural" deaths were "extremely tragic and distressing" and that an investigation team had been formed.

Local media reports said forest officials suspected poisoning.

The tigress had reportedly killed a cow days earlier, and poison may have been laced into the carcass, which her cubs also fed on, according to The Times of India.

"If there has been any negligence, or if the tigers died due to any reason, I have ordered criminal action against those responsible," Khandre said.

Sustained conservation efforts have led to a steady rebound of the big cats' numbers in India.

According to the latest census, there are over 3,600 of them in the wild in India -- 75 percent of the global tiger population.

But shrinking habitats and expanding human settlements have also fuelled conflict. More than 600 people were killed in tiger attacks over the past decade, according to official figures.