Bhopal/Jabalpur: Raising alarm over the rising number of tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh, a division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to submit a detailed report on recent tiger fatalities in the reserve and surrounding areas.
Rising Tiger Deaths Spark Court Intervention
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey. The petition highlighted that 10 tigers have died in Madhya Pradesh since the beginning of 2026, including six in Shahdol division and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Officials noted that none of these deaths were due to natural causes, but were linked to electrocution or other unnatural reasons. The court instructed the Field Director to provide a comprehensive report, given that the majority of deaths occurred within or near Bandhavgarh.
Historical Trend of Tiger Fatalities
Dubey’s petition drew attention to Madhya Pradesh’s record of tiger deaths over the past few years:
- 2022: 43 tigers
- 2023: 45 tigers
- 2024: 46 tigers
- 2025: 54 tigers (highest since the start of Project Tiger in 1973)
He emphasized that Madhya Pradesh, often referred to as the “Tiger State”, is home to 785 tigers out of India’s 3,176 population and the global population of 5,421. Despite being a tiger stronghold, the state has seen a worrisome increase in unnatural tiger deaths.
According to official Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve data, 57% of tiger deaths were unnatural, caused by poaching, electrocution, or other external factors.
Poaching and Illegal Practices
The rise in tiger fatalities has been linked to poaching inside protected reserves. Recently, Yangchen Lachungpa, the kingpin of an international poaching gang, was arrested near the Sikkim international border by a joint operation of the MP State Tiger Strike Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.
Dubey noted that poachers are reportedly using live electric wires to kill tigers, highlighting the failure of forest department surveillance and intelligence systems to curb the menace.
Court Directives
During the hearing, counsel for the central government requested four weeks to file a reply on the PIL. However, the court granted only two weeks, while directing the Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to submit a report on tiger deaths in and around the reserve.
Senior counsel Aditya Sanghi appeared for the petitioner.
