Bhopal

'Collarwali' tigress, the pride of Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve, died on Saturday evening due to old age, the forest department said.

Born in September 2005, Collarwali gave birth to 29 cubs and established her territory in Pench.

The tigress came to be known as Collarwali after experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun put a radio collar on her on March 11, 2008. A documentary film 'Tiger: Spy in the Jungle' was made on her.

She was the most visible big cat to tourists. She first gave birth to three cubs at the age of two and a half years.

Aadhar Gupta, deputy director of Pench National Park, said, "The tigress died of old age. Her contribution is immense in restoring the ecological balance by improving the tiger population."

Dr. Akhilesh Mishra, the doctor of Pench Park told, "The tigress died of natural causes after completing an average age."