117 tiger deaths this year, 40 unnautural 

As many as 117 tigers have died till August this year compared to 126 in the entire 2024.  What's even more concerning, as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) data, is the death of 40 big cats due to unnatural causes, including poaching.

Madhya Pradesh has recorded 36 deaths, of which 12 are due to unnatural causes, including accident, poisoning and even poaching. Two Madhya Pradesh wildlife officials accused of secretly burning the carcass of a tiger in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district have absconded, and the Forest Department has announced a reward of Rs 5,000 each on them.

In a recent poaching case, the paws of a tiger were cut off. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said: “Near the spot where the tiger was poached in the Satpura Tiger Reserve on August 21, the body of a chaukidar was found two months ago. In 2023, a tiger was poached near the spot and its head was severed and taken away.”

He said NTCA had not appointed a member secretary yet and an advertisement had recently been floated. “Madhya Pradesh is an old graveyard for tigers. Of 117 tigers which have died across the country so far, Madhya Pradesh has recorded 36 deaths, which is the highest in the country,” he said.

In Karnataka, 75 tigers reportedly died between April 2020 and August 2025. Of these, 13 died due to unnatural causes. This year, five tigers were poisoned to death and two died from snare trap injuries. In the last five years, the country has recorded more than 50 confirmed cases of tiger poaching.

An NTCA official said from 2012 to 2024, 71% of recorded tiger mortality cases were closed after scrutinising the postmortem and forensic reports and 29% of the cases were under scrutiny.

“The mortality data indicates that out of 1,386 tiger mortality events between 2012 and 2024, 50% took place inside the tiger reserves, and 42% outside the reserves,” an official said.