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Tigers Found Dead in MP: State Fears Poaching Crisis
2 Feb
Summary
- Two tigers recently found dead in Madhya Pradesh, raising this year's toll to 10.
- State lost over 55 tigers last year, the highest since Project Tiger's launch.
- Electrocution and territorial fights cited, but poaching is not ruled out.
Two tigers were discovered deceased in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district on consecutive days, elevating the state's tiger mortality count for the current year to ten. This situation has alarmed wildlife authorities, particularly as it follows the loss of over 55 tigers in the preceding year, marking the highest number since the inception of Project Tiger in 1973.
One of the deceased tigers, a tigress, was found on Sunday, with a male tiger located approximately 100 meters away on Monday. Initial assessments suggest one tiger succumbed to a territorial fight, while the other appears to have died from electrocution. Officials are investigating the electrocution case thoroughly, with a possibility of poaching being considered, especially since farmers have erected electric wires to protect crops.
Last year, Madhya Pradesh recorded 55 tiger deaths, with an estimated 11 resulting from unnatural causes, including eight by electrocution from illegal traps set by villagers. To combat these incidents, forest staff have been deployed for continuous patrolling along crop-forest interfaces and are actively removing illegally erected live wires. Rapid vulnerability mapping of irrigation stretches is also underway, with joint teams planned with power distribution staff to address unauthorized agricultural connections.
