https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

A Sensitive Issue in the Wild: What’s Really Behind the Disappearance of 25 Tigers from Ranthambore?

Indian Masterminds delves into the alleged disappearance of 25 tigers in Ranthambore National Park, uncovering the truth behind the controversy and the steps being taken to resolve the issue.
Indian Masterminds Stories

A sensitive issue within the Forest Department should have been handled with care, but instead, it was portrayed as a failure on the part of the department. Despite the fact that the Forest Department was fulfilling its responsibilities, it was the department itself that released the controversial report. Over the past month, there has been a significant uproar over the news that 25 tigers were missing from Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park. The park is home to a total of 75 tigers, but a monitoring committee report released in October stated that there was no concrete evidence of the existence of 25 of them.

In response, the department swiftly formed a new committee to investigate the matter. The committee, led by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) and IFS officer Rajesh Kumar Gupta, has since confirmed the presence of 11 of the 25 missing tigers, with further updates expected soon. However, the way the issue was presented by the mainstream media focused more on casting blame than on providing accurate information about a highly sensitive situation.

To gain a deeper understanding of the situation, Indian Masterminds spoke with Mr. Pavan Kumar Upadhyay, a 1992 batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) & Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) of Rajasthan, to uncover the true nature of the issue.

THE REPORT

On October 14 of this year, the Rajasthan Forest Department received the Tiger Monitoring report, which revealed that 25 tigers were missing in the state. Of these, 11 tigers had not been confirmed through camera traps or other monitoring methods for the past year. Additionally, 14 tigers were not tracked for the last six months, with little information available about their whereabouts. In response to this report, the department immediately formed a committee to investigate further.

When the updated Tiger Monitoring report was released on November 5, it confirmed that concrete evidence of the presence of 10 out of the 14 tigers had been found. This evidence included tiger marks captured by camera traps, complete with date, time, and location. However, the department does not typically share such detailed information publicly, nor do they disclose the individual tiger numbers, as this could put the animals at risk.

In fact, the department had already been preparing a weekly monitoring report since October. According to the department, evidence for the remaining four tigers out of the 14 is expected to be found soon. Mr Upadhyay explained, “During the monsoon, tigers often leave their territories and move to other areas. They may cross corridors and migrate to other tiger reserves or even other states.”

A tiger in Ranthambore

NOT THE FIRST TIME

This is not the first time the department has faced a situation where tigers were unaccounted for. Similar incidents have occurred several times in the past in Rajasthan. According to PCCF Mr Upadhyay, this has happened five times before, each time triggering an inquiry. In these cases, either a committee was formed or a senior officer was appointed to investigate the matter.

When asked about allegations of negligence within the department, Mr. Upadhyay responded, “There is always room for improvement. We must continue to refine our work. We’ve released this report, and we are actively addressing the issue. Yet, we are being blamed for negligence. Our intentions are positive; we are not here to harm anyone. Our goal is to improve the system. This directive was issued with the aim of enhancing our operations, not to demoralize anyone.”

THE COMMITTEE

The committee has been given a two-month timeframe to complete its work. However, the department is referring to it as a “corrective committee” rather than an investigative one. The goal, they say, is for the committee to offer recommendations on how the monitoring system can be improved, making it a fact-finding mission.

The committee will assess whether concrete evidence of these missing tigers can be found within the next two months. Additionally, the department is conducting age profiling on these tigers to better understand their conditions. As PCCF Upadhyay said, “For instance, if we have a tiger that is 18 years old, it raises the question—could such an elderly tiger survive long in the wild? While it may be able to live in captivity, it may not be able to thrive in the wild.” Therefore, the true status of these 11 tigers will only become clear once the committee’s report is released.

He further emphasized that, “Not only that, but we also want a clear protocol to be established for handling cases where concrete evidence of a tiger’s whereabouts is missing for an extended period, as outlined in the NTCA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).”

The order of forming committee

Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
nitish kumar cm
Bihar Urban Push: CM Nitish Kumar Launches Rs341 Crore Projects to Revamp Patna Riverfront and Boost Religious Tourism- All Details Inside
Bombay Natural History Society
BNHS Urges Centre to Frame Legal Policy for India’s Grasslands, Calls Them Crucial Ecosystems, Not Wastelands
KK Lakshman IAS
IAS KK Lakshman Appointed Special Secretary to Delhi LG in Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle
MP Forest Recruitment - 2
Tiger Carcass Burnt: Two Madhya Pradesh Officials Abscond, Forest Dept Announces Reward for Information
Odisha Government
Odisha Launches Forest Beat Stratification Drive for Effective Elephant Habitat and Conflict Management
Land Mafia Crackdown UP
UP's Biggest Crackdown Under BNSS: Aligarh Police Seizes Rs 33 Cr from Land Mafia Near Jewar
Rozgar Maha Kumbh 2025 Uttar Pradesh
UP’s Global Vision: CM Yogi Inaugurates Rozgar Maha Kumbh 2025, Announces Over 50,000 Jobs and Global Placements- Know More
NTPC x IR
National Conference on Fly Ash Utilization and Transport Held by NTPC and Indian Railways in Noida
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-25 at 13.56
Operation Hunt: IPS Dr. Karanraj Vaghela’s Mission to Nab Valsad’s Most Wanted
Dr
Resisted Flawed Schemes, Transferred Thrice In Three Months, Found Solace In Writing
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
IAS SVR Srinivas on Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, Tough Calls, and the Real Power of IAS Officers | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-12 at 7.27
First Attempt IRS, Fourth Attempt IPS: The Relentless Pursuit of Jitendra Kumar Yadav Who Cracked UPSC 3 Times
IPS Yadav is originally from Chhattisgarh. He was first selected for the IRS through UPSC and later for...
Social Media
Masahiro Hara
From Go Board to Global Use, How QR Codes Changed the World: IRAS Officer Ananth Rupanagudi Spotlights Masahiro Hara’s Vision
IRAS officer Ananth Rupanagudi shared a video on Masahiro Hara, the inventor of QR codes, highlighting...
IFS Susanta Nanda Video
A Mother’s Duty: Tigress Watches Over Cubs Splashing in Waterhole — Heartwarming Video Shared By Retd. IFS Officer Susanta Nanda
A tender wildlife video shared by Retd. IFS officer Susanta Nanda shows a tigress keeping watch over...
Mohanmala
Kaziranga Mourns: Beloved Elephant Mohanmala Passes Away After Five Decades of Service
Kaziranga National Park mourns the loss of Mohanmala, a beloved elephant who served over 50 years as...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
nitish kumar cm
Bihar Urban Push: CM Nitish Kumar Launches Rs341 Crore Projects to Revamp Patna Riverfront and Boost Religious Tourism- All Details Inside
Bombay Natural History Society
BNHS Urges Centre to Frame Legal Policy for India’s Grasslands, Calls Them Crucial Ecosystems, Not Wastelands
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-25 at 13.56
Dr
WhatsApp Image 2025-08-11 at 4.48
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT