Maharashtra: 13 tigers dead in first 16 days of 2025, seven in state

Representational Pic/File

The new year has started on a grim note for wild tigers in India, with 13 reported deaths in the first 16 days of 2025. Maharashtra recorded the highest number at seven deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh.

According to www.tigernet.nic.in, the official database of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a state agency under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, of the 13 deaths, nine occurred outside tiger reserves, while four were reported within reserves.

Madhya Pradesh recorded two deaths, while Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala, and Assam each reported one tiger death. Investigations into these deaths are ongoing, and the exact causes are yet to be determined.

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Wildlife conservationist Kedar Gore from the Corbett Foundation explained that in states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, where tiger populations are high, some deaths due to natural causes are expected. However, he pointed out that at least four tiger deaths in Maharashtra were linked to poaching and human-wildlife conflict. "This needs to be addressed on a priority," he said.

Gore added, "Hopefully, the NTCA and the respective forest departments will focus more on timely addressing the reasons leading to negative human-wildlife interactions. Timely release of funds, compensating local communities for human, property, and agricultural losses due to wildlife, and ensuring capacity building of frontline staff to improve vigilance against poaching are crucial. Most unnatural tiger deaths occur in buffer areas, wildlife corridors, and forest divisions adjacent to well-protected tiger reserves. These areas need more attention, funds, and wildlife management strategies. Instead of focusing solely on increasing tiger numbers in restricted areas, we should prioritise reducing human-wildlife conflicts. Fewer negative interactions should become the measure of success in tiger conservation."

According to NTCA data, India recorded a total of 127 tiger deaths in 2024. In January 2024 alone, 20 tiger deaths were reported across the country. Of the 127 deaths reported last year, 85 remain under investigation, 13 were attributed to natural causes, and one was confirmed as a poaching incident.

Sarosh Lodhi, co-founder of the wildlife group Conservation Lenses & Wildlife (CLaW) and a conservation photographer, expressed concern over the mortality numbers.

"The mortality numbers are extremely concerning, and the high number of unnatural deaths is particularly troubling. While authorities are considering introducing birth control measures for tigers, the focus should be on reducing the mortality rate and securing corridors to allow tigers to move freely," he said.

NTCA data on mortality

The NTCA stated, "Based on the location of tiger mortality events, data from 2012 to September 2024 is grouped into three categories: deaths inside tiger reserves, deaths outside reserves, and seizures of tiger skins or bones. Of the 1,386 tiger mortality events recorded during this period, 50 per cent occurred within tiger reserves, 42 per cent outside reserves, and 7 per cent were linked to seizures."