For the third year in a row, the number of tiger deaths in the country has crossed the 100-figure mark.

However, much to the relief of wildlife officials and animal lovers, the number of total deaths in the eleven months of the current calendar year at 107, including 22 cubs and ten sub-adults, is less than the 127 deaths recorded last year.

The number of tigresses killed so far this year stands at 17 against 16 last year. In 2021, the number of tiger cub deaths was comparatively less at 15.

In 2020, during a lockdown induced by Covid-pandemic, India saw 106 tigers succumbing to deaths due to various reasons such as natural deaths, poaching, electrocution, infighting, and poisoning.

The wildlife officials are keeping their fingers crossed hoping that the number of tiger deaths this year is lesser or at least it does not surpass the figure reported last year.

The Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), an NGO in the sector, contradicts the Government’s data and instead has estimated that in the first eleven months India has already lost 129 tigers, including 35 falling prey to poachers.

According to the wildlife conservation organisation, last year at least 115 died natural deaths/ in infighting and man-animal conflict while poaching claimed 56 lives.

As per the Government data available from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh has reported the highest number of tiger deaths at 32 followed by Maharashtra which has witnessed 25 deaths of the big cats in the first 11 months this year.

Karnataka registered 13 deaths, while Assam, Rajasthan and Kerala lost six and five striped cats each respectively. Three tiger deaths were reported from Andhra Pradesh, while two each died in Bihar and Tamil Nadu.

The detailed analysis of the data showed that at least 62 striped cats died inside their home i.e. in the tiger reserves, most of them fighting to protect their turfs while as many as 45 were killed outside the tiger reserves or on the forest fringes.