1431 tiger deaths reported across India from 2012 to date; MP saw most such cases

Representational Pic/File

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]."

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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.

In the first two months of this year, a total of 45 tigers died across the country, while the high number in 12 years - 178 - was recorded in 2023. The second and third highest number of deaths - 127 and 121 - were recorded in 2021 and 2016, respectively.

Expert Speak

Wildlife conservationist Kedar Gore from The Corbett Foundation was not surprised that the highest number of tiger deaths were reported from MP, Maharashtra and Karnataka as they are among the top five states in terms of estimated tiger numbers.

"Most carcasses are found eight to 12 hours or even longer after tigers die, and autopsies do not reveal much about the cause of death, unless body parts are missing, which points to poaching. Therefore, 29 per cent of these deaths are still showing as ‘pending' on the NTCA website. These could have been natural deaths as well as retaliatory killings and the result of poaching. More intensive patrolling may perhaps reduce this percentage in the future. The overcrowding of tigers in smaller protected areas has increased over the years, leading to higher instances of territorial fights among tigers and conflict with villagers. A glaring example of this is the escalating conflict in Brahmapuri, Chandrapur and Central Chanda forest divisions around Tadoba Tiger Reserve. These three divisions have 150 tigers living in proximity to human habitation, leading to 253 human deaths due to tiger attacks between 2019 and 2024."

According to Gore, better programmes are needed for the immediate mitigation of negative human-wildlife interactions to ensure safety of tiger populations outside protected areas and in corridors. "This is quite critical for long-term tiger conservation," he added.

Asked whether he thought the number of tiger deaths reflected a policy failure and whether successful tiger conservation had become a threat to tigers, Gore said, "I certainly do not think that successful tiger conservation has become a threat to tigers. But increasing tiger numbers in restricted areas has increased human-tiger conflict manifold."

Sarosh Lodhi, co-founder of the wildlife group CLaW and a conservation photographer, pointed out that most tiger deaths occur in central India, particularly in Maharashtra, MP and Chhattisgarh. "The trend has remained the same year after year. The central India landscape also remains a hotbed of man-animal conflict and a large number of human casualties. A special focus is required to tackle this region with a localised strategy. We also need to work on providing safe corridors to tigers and avoid fragmentation, habitat destruction, etc, at all costs."

Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) Director Kishor Rithe said, "There has been a significant increase in the tiger population in central India [Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh] as well as in Karnataka over the past few years, so the deaths recorded would obviously be high. Though the protection level at tiger reserves and protected areas has improved, linear infrastructure and other development projects, including mining, pose serious threats in corridors. Saving tigers outside protected areas has been a tough task and governments need to work hard with all other departments in tiger corridors."

Big cat facts

India is home to 75 per cent of the global wild tiger population. A press release issued in July 2022, stated, "On April 9, 2022, during the celebration of 50 years of the Project Tiger at Mysuru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the minimum tiger population of 3167, which is the population estimate from the camera-trapped area. Now, further analysis of data, done by the Wildlife Institute of India, from both camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number is 3682, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1 per cent per annum."

The release further stated that the largest tiger population of 785 is in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560) and Maharashtra (444).

The tiger population within the tiger reserves is highest at Jim Corbett National Park (260), followed by the Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135), Dudhwa (135), Mudumalai (114), Kanha (105), Kaziranga (104), Sundarbans (100), Tadoba (97), Sathyamangalam (85) and Pench (77) sanctuaries.