Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The rise in the death toll of tigers in Madhya Pradesh has become a cause of concern in the state. The casualty rate of tigers in MP compared to the national average is high and this could be gauged from the fact that at least 27 tigers have died in the past 6 months.
Previously, Madhya Pradesh had bagged the status of Tiger State for working in the field of Big Cat conservation. Once the tiger population had gone up to 124 in Madhya Pradesh, and Bandhavgarh National Park had played an important role in the conservation of wild animals. But the death of 27 wild beasts in the past six months has put a question mark on wild animal conservation in Madhya Pradesh.
On the other hand, Madhya Pradesh forest minister Vijay Shah, while refuting the death toll of tigers, said "The population of tigers has been increasing in the state. Hence, the casualty rate of the wild beast has also gone up. The National Tiger Census report 2018, which was released in July 2019, showed that the tiger population in MP had gone up to 524. Earlier, Karnataka was enjoying the status of Tiger State."
Read: One more tigress dies in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
With the tiger population at Bandhavgarh touching the 124 figure, the national park played an important role in clinching the status of Tiger State for Madhya Pradesh. But in the last three years, Bandhavgarh lost more than two dozen big cats. The declining population of feline species has put Madhya Pradesh tiger conservation in jeopardy. Within two years, three tigresses and three cubs were found killed in Bandhavgarh. In the Shahdol division of the forest, more than 10 tigers lost their lives within 5 years, mostly because of poaching.
