Bhopal/Sagar, Dec 31 : Madhya Pradesh reported another tiger death on Sunday after an adult male was found dead in a forest area of Sagar district, pushing the state’s tiger mortality this year to 55 the highest recorded since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973.
The carcass was discovered near Hilgan village in the Dhana range under the South Forest Division in the Bundelkhand region. Forest officials said the tiger was a fully grown male, estimated to be between eight and 10 years old.
“No external injury marks were found on the tiger’s body during the preliminary check. A post-mortem examination is being conducted to ascertain the cause of death,” a South Forest Division official said.
Authorities are investigating whether the animal had migrated from the nearby Nauradehi Tiger Reserve, as tigers are rarely sighted in this area. Wildlife sources suspect the tiger may have been dispersing and could have come into contact with an illegal electric fence, though this will be confirmed only after forensic examination.
According to forest department data, 11 of the 55 tiger deaths this year were due to unnatural causes, with around eight cases linked to electrocution. Illegal high-voltage electric fencing, often erected by farmers to protect crops from wild animals, has emerged as a significant threat to tigers moving outside protected areas.
Madhya Pradesh, which had 785 tigers as per the 2022 national tiger status report, remains one of India’s densest tiger landscapes. Forest officials maintain that the majority of deaths are natural, attributed to old age, territorial fights and disease in a growing population. However, conservationists warn that preventable deaths are steadily increasing.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey expressed concern over the rising toll. “The cycle of tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh shows no sign of stopping. With 55 tigers lost in the state so far this year, there appears to be no accountability,” he said. The discovery of another carcass in Sagar, suspected to be from the Nauradehi reserve, “raises serious questions about who will take responsibility for this growing crisis,” he added.
Taking note of the trend, V. N. Ambade, head of the Madhya Pradesh forest department, has issued strict instructions to senior officers, warning that negligence will not be tolerated. He highlighted that deaths caused by electrocution, road accidents and rail hits are preventable, and directed forest officials to coordinate with agencies such as the Railways, thoroughly investigate all recent wildlife deaths and take strict action against lapses.
As the year draws to a close, the record number of tiger deaths has intensified scrutiny of conservation practices in the state, even as officials stress the need to balance a growing tiger population with stronger measures to eliminate human-induced threats.
