Being unable to defend the Tiger State tag it got in the 2010 census, Madhya Pradesh lost its number two spot to Uttarakhand and slipped further to number three. Karnataka retained its first position.
The much-awaited 2014-15 tiger estimation report that was released on Tuesday though brought good news for the country as it indicated a significant increase in India’s tiger population. The last decade has seen a clear escalation in numbers from 1,411 in 2006, to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014. But the 2014-15 tiger census report proved to be a jolt for the State that was trying hard to regain its Tiger State tag.
In Madhya Pradesh, the numbers increased from 257 in 2010 to 308 in 2014 but the increase of 51 striped felines not only failed to bring back Tiger State honour but also failed to defend the number two position.
Karnataka successfully retained the Tiger State tag for the second consecutive term by registering an enormous growth of 98 tigers in its fold from 310 in 2010 to 408 in 2014 while Uttarakhand surprisingly emerged as the number two Tiger State with a count of 340 striped felines, pushing back Madhya Pradesh to number three with 308 tigers.
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey has strongly condemned Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Forest Minister Gaurishankar Shejwar as MP again failed to achieve the status of Tiger State. “We demand the resignation of the Chief Minister and the Forest Minister as this is a matter of shame that MP which is having maximum six tiger reserves in the country stood after Karnataka and Uttarakhand,” Dubey said while talking to The Pioneer.
Dubey further said that the State failed to protect the tigers and that is why the figure of poaching is continuously increasing. Zero conviction rate, poor wildlife management, lack of cadre of expert veterinary doctors, absence of special tiger protection force and criminal negligence in notification of Ratapani Tiger Reserve are a few important reasons behind the poor numbers of tigers in the State.