Daijiworld Media Network - Sagar
Sagar, Dec 29: Yet another tiger death has been reported from the ‘Tiger State’ Madhya Pradesh, taking the total number of tiger mortalities in the state so far in 2025 to 55 — the highest in any single year since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973.
The latest incident was reported from the Bundelkhand region’s Sagar district. An adult female tiger, aged between eight and ten years, was found dead near Hilgan village along the Sagar–Dhana Road on Sunday. The carcass was located in the Dhana Forest Range under the Sagar South Forest Division.
Villagers who spotted the carcass in the morning immediately informed forest department officials. A team led by Dhana Forest Ranger Pratik Srivastava rushed to the spot and initiated on-site investigations.
According to senior officials in the state forest department, the exact cause of death will be determined only after the necropsy. However, the absence of visible injury marks or evidence of poisoning has raised suspicion that the tigress may have died due to electrocution from an illegal electric trap set up in the area.
Forest officials are also probing whether the tigress had been residing in the area for a prolonged period or had strayed from nearby reserves such as the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve or the Panna Tiger Reserve.
Data available with the department shows that out of the 55 tiger deaths reported in Madhya Pradesh this year, 11 were unnatural. Of these, around eight deaths were caused by electrocution, largely due to electric traps laid by villagers to protect crops from wild boars and antelopes or during bush hunting.
Electrocution-related tiger deaths have emerged as a major concern for the forest department. Officials point out that such incidents are often linked to villagers resorting to illegal traps due to delays and complexities in compensation for crop damage caused by wild animals.
Reacting to the incident, Bhopal-based wildlife activist Ajay Dubey shared a video of the dead tiger on social media and questioned the lack of accountability. “When will this cycle of tiger deaths finally end? Fifty-five tigers have been lost in Madhya Pradesh so far this year. Today, another tiger's carcass was discovered in Dhana, Sagar—suspected to belong to the Panna Tiger Reserve. Who will answer for this mounting crisis?” he wrote.