Tigress is given a funeral at Indian wildlife reserve

A tigress was given a traditional funeral at an Indian wildlife reserve after she was electrocuted by an illegal electric fence. 

Dozens of locals helped arrange a pyre before watching the cremation near Nagpur, central India. 

Moving photos show the animal’s body being placed on the wood and covered in flowers before it was burned. 

Local help: Moving photos show the animal’s body being place on the wood, covered in flowers and burned 

Caring: Dozens of locals helped arrange the pyre before watching the cremation near Nagpur, central India

Wildlife expert Wasif Jamshed organised the cremation after he was tasked with catching the tiger because it had killed four people. 

The 37-year-old said: ‘The tigress was electrocuted outside of the reserve because of an illegal electric high voltage fence.

‘Before the tiger came to our reserve, there was a killing order issued for this tigress as she had killed four humans – but people wanted me to come and tranquillise this tigress and save her life.

‘This was the first tiger that died in my work span of twelve years.

‘After her death I decided to show her full respect and give her an Indian ritual of after death – after prayer, we burned her like a human so that she can make her way to heaven.’ 

Wildlife expert Wasif Jamshed organised the cremation after he was tasked with catching the tiger which had killed four people

The 37-year-old said: ‘The tigress was electrocuted outside of the reserve because of an illegal electric high voltage fence