Madhya Pradesh registered one third of the total tigers deaths of the country during the year 2016, according to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) 98 tigers death are reported in the country till now and of them 31 deaths are reported from the State.
Madhya Pradesh alone accounts for nearly 31 of the 98 deaths reported this year till November 16. The State reported four tiger deaths within a fortnight in November, with one death due to overdose of tranquilizer. The State’s tourism arrivals is soaring every year as it banks heavily on tiger population in its three famous tiger reserves.
However, tiger population in the Sstate has come down from 700 in 2000 to less than half, at 301 in 2016. The State now trails behind Karnataka and Uttarakhand in tiger population.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has blamed the frequent and unfortunately high number of tiger deaths towards apathetic attitude of political leadership in State as well as senior forest officials. The support from local political leadership to these criminal groups and lack of coordination with local police and enforcement agencies in some critical tiger areas are also not ruled, he added.
He said that despite a decision in 2005, a dedicated wildlife veterinary cadre was not raised in MP. “Most vets are either on deputation or on contract appointment and few have wildlife care expertise. So if a tiger is ill or injured in MP, it is sure to die,” Dubey said.
A high percentage of tiger deaths in the NTCA data remain unexplained, as the official records show "details awaited" or "cases under scrutiny" as the stated reason for the death.
The NTCA official data placed before Parliament shows that 98 tigers died in the country till November 16, 2016, a steep 25 per cent rise over last year when 78 deaths were reported.