Even as India’s tiger population has more than doubled in the last few years, at least 303 tiger deaths were reported since 2018, with poaching being the cause in 57 cases, the environment ministry data shows.
From 1,411 in 2006, the tiger population has jumped to 2,967 in 2018, according to the Status of Tigers in India, which compares information obtained from the earlier three surveys done in 2006, 2010 and 2014 and the data from 2018-19.
The tiger census is conducted once in every four years and the last was done in 2018 in which 101 tiger deaths were reported in the country. The number fell to 96 in 2019. But 2020 saw a 10% rise in tiger deaths, nearly 106, according to the ministry data analysed by CNN-News18 shows.
Tiger deaths in India
Madhya Pradesh has 526 tigers, the highest in the country, with maximum deaths reported, around 88, in the last three years, the data shows. The state saw 28 tigers die in 2018, 31 in 2019 and 29 in 2020.
State-wise tiger deaths between 2018-20
After MP, Maharashtra witnessed 55 and Karnataka saw 39 tiger deaths in the last three years. Maharashtra has reported a steady fall in the deaths from 21 in 2018 to 16 in 2020. The state has about 312 tigers, according to the 2018 census and is at the fourth position in tiger population.
With 524 tigers, Karnataka has the second highest big cat population in the country. It has reported 12 deaths each in 2019 and 2020. In 2018, the state recorded 15 tiger deaths.
Uttarakhand stands at number three with nearly 442 tigers. The state has reported 19 tiger deaths since 2018.
According to the government, of the 303 tiger deaths, 100 are under scrutiny. Of the remaining, 112 died of natural causes, including deaths in territorial fights and cub killings. A total of 57 tigers died in poaching and seven cases the cause was unnatural, including mortality due to accidents.
Cause of Tiger deaths between 2018 and 2020
The All India Tiger Estimation is done once in the period of four years by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical backstopping from the Wildlife Institute of India and implemented by State Forest Departments and partners.
The first cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation using the refined methodology was done in 2006. It was subsequently carried out in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Tiger Population in India
According to the ministry, India is home to nearly 75% of the global tiger population and has already fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers, made at St. Petersburg in 2010, much before the target year of 2022.
The 2018 census was not just special in terms of tiger population, but has also helped India in achieving a New Guinness Record for being world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.
Camera traps were placed in 26,838 locations across 141 different sites and surveyed an effective area of 121,337 square kilometres. In total, the camera traps captured 34,858,623 photographs of wildlife, including 76,651 photos of tigers. From these photographs, 2,461 individual tigers (excluding cubs) were identified using stripe-pattern-recognition software.
On International Tiger Day on July 29, PM Narendra Modi extended greetings to wildlife lovers and emphasised on the “commitment to ensuring safe habitats for our tigers and nurturing tiger-friendly eco-systems.”
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