Dehradun: On an average, Uttarakhand has witnessed death of 11 tigers annually over the last 12 years. Despite being home to some of the renowned tiger reserves, the death of big cats in the state has raised serious concerns about the tiger conservation measures and the investments made in this regard.
Nearly 650 tigers died in tiger reserve area
According to a report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a total of 1386 tigers died across the country in the last 12 years, out of which nearly 50 percent deaths occurred within the tiger reserve area. Forty two percent tigers died outside the tiger reserve area while there is no clarity on death of rest eight percent tigers.
As far as the big-cat scenario in Uttarakhand is concerned, most of the cases of tiger deaths have been reported from Corbett Tiger Reserve and its surroundings. It is believed that the high number of tiger population in this area is itself the cause behind such deaths. In such a situation, cases of natural death have been witnessed more in the Tiger Reserve or its surrounding areas.
MP, Maha Saw Highest Fatalities
As per official reports, in the last 12 years, Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest fatalities with 355 tiger deaths, followed by Maharashtra (261) and Karnataka (179). Uttarakhand stood at fourth with 132 deaths.
NTCA reported death of 125 tigers across India in 2024, a decline from 182 fatalities in 2023. However, the death count is almost same as the previous years’ figures as 122 tigers died in the year 2022, 127 in the year 2021 and 106 in the year 2020. Over the last 12 years, 1386 tiger deaths have been registered nationwide, with half of these occurring within tiger reserves, while the cause of death is mostly natural or due to human-wildlife conflict or poaching.
Uttarakhand saw death of eight tigers in 2024 - three in the Corbett Tiger Reserve area, three in outer area of Corbett in Kumaon, while two tiger cubs died in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The reasons behind tiger deaths in Uttarakhand remain under scrutiny. Over 90% of the cases from 2024 are still under investigation. State Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal said that the efforts have been expedited towards conservation of tigers. Apart from this, the forest department is also focused on curbing human wildlife conflict.
