Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh which is home to the highest population of tigers, but, it is struggling to live up to its moniker "Tiger State of India" as the death of the big cats continue to rise in the state. Wildlife enthusiasts have been blaming the dip in tiger population to the man-animal conflicts and its associated events.
According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh has lost 270 tigers in a decade while 34 died last year and nine deaths reported in the first 45 days of the year. The 2022 data suggests Madhya Pradesh as being home to 526 tigers, while its nearest competitor Karnataka having 524 tigers. The latter would be conferred the title if the official Tiger Census records more tigers in Karnataka. Karnataka lost 15 tigers in the year 2022.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, animal rights activist Ajay Dubey said tigers are getting trapped in the electric fencing in the farm lands adjoining the forests. The Forest department is not able to control them. 270 tigers were reported dead in the last 10 years, while nine tigers died in the last 45 days.
Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of big cats in the country. We need to take some strict measures to save the tigers, the enthusiast added. His views echoed by an Indian Forest Service Officer who blamed the encroachments in the Forest land as one of the reasons for tiger deaths.
Also read: Corbett tiger that killed many finally trapped
Retired Indian Forest Service official Sudesh Baghmare, a retired Indian Forest Officer said the conflict between the tigers is also one of the major reasons for the death of the big cats here besides human encroachment in the forest area. This year, on Feb. 4, 2023, two tigers were found dead in the state.
A tiger carcass was found in the Balwai beat of the Ghunghuti forest range of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in the Umaria district, another tiger was found dead in Shahdol. A day before, a tiger died in the Kanha Tiger Reserve. On Jan. 31, a tiger carcass was found in Panna Tiger Reserve.
Two dead tigers were found on Jan 24, one in Shahdol and one in Kanha Tiger Reserve. On Jan. 12, a tiger carcass was found in Satpura Tiger Reserve. A day before that a tiger was found dead in Seoni. From January 2012 to February 2023, the state recorded 270 deaths of the big cats. This is the highest so far, followed by 184 in Maharashtra, 150 in Karnataka, 98 in Uttarakhand, and 71 in Assam in the same period.
