Forest Minister Ganesh Naik was replying to a debate in the state assembly on the issue of man-animal conflicts in a wildlife sanctuary near Bhandara
Representational pic
Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Wednesday said the state's tiger count has surged to 444 this year from the 101 recorded in 2000. While speaking on the floor of the House during the Maharashtra Budget Session 2025, the minister also informed that the government has approved funds worth Rs 200 crore for solar fencing of villages near tiger habitats, news agency PTI reported.
ADVERTISEMENT
The ministet was replying to a debate in the state assembly on the issue of man-animal conflicts in a wildlife sanctuary near Bhandara.
Naik also stated that two people were killed in the area in tiger attacks this year, PTI reported.
He assured the House that he would pursue the demand for fencing of villages which are close to forests and fall on the route of tiger movement.
"The number of tigers in the state has gone up to 444 now compared to 101 in 2000," Naik told the House.
Congress Legislature Party Leader Vijay Wadettiwar said there was anger among locals over tiger attacks, reported PTI.
Farmers were living in fear as tigers and leopards destroy crops as well, he said.
Members cutting across party lines expressed concern over the increasing incidents of human-wildlife conflict, PTI reported.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar agreed to hold a meeting to discuss the issue.
MP recorded most tiger deaths since 2012, followed by Maharashtra
Between January 2012 and February 2025, 1431 tiger deaths were reported across India. More than 40 per cent of these were recorded outside protected areas.
Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of tiger deaths followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. Poaching and natural causes accounted for 227 and 559 deaths respectively while the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) data states that 406 deaths since 2012 are still being scrutinised. A total of 106 tiger body parts were recovered in seizures to date.
Referring to the period between January 2012 and September 2024, when 1386 tiger mortality events were recorded, the NTCA’s website states, “As per the stringent conditions set by the NTCA, all tiger deaths are considered ‘poaching’ in the beginning. Supplementary details like post-mortem reports, forensic and lab reports and circumstantial evidence are gathered to close a particular tiger death case as either natural, poaching or unnatural, but not poaching. The figures indicate that 71 per cent of recorded tiger mortality cases have been closed after scrutinising the post-mortem and forensic reports and 29 per cent of cases are pending [under scrutiny].”
The NTCA site states that of the 1386 deaths, half took place inside the tiger reserves and 42 per cent of tiger mortalities were recorded outside tiger reserves while seven per cent were seizures.
Tiger toll
Madhya Pradesh recorded highest tiger deaths from 2012 to date—355 while Maharashtra recorded second highest figure—261, followed by Karnataka 179, Uttrakhand 132, Tamil Nadu 89, Assam 85, Kerala 76, Uttar Pradesh 67, Rajasthan 36, Bihar 22, Chhattisgarh 21, Andhra Pradesh 14, West Bengal 13, Odisha 13, Telangana 11. Goa recorded four deaths while Nagaland and Delhi recorded two each and Jharkhand, Haryana, Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh only recorded a single case each.
Going by data available between 2012 and September 2024, the highest deaths were recorded in January, 166; followed by March, 151; and May, 140. The month of October had the lowest tiger deaths, 70.
(With PTI inputs)
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
