Tigress found dead in MP's Bandhavgarh reserve; toll in state rises to 18 so far this year

A tigress was found dead in a suspicious condition in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh, taking the number of tiger fatalities in the state to 18 so far this year, officials said on Friday.

The tigress was about five years old and the carcass was found in the Dhamakhor range on Thursday, an official said.

After spotting the dead tigress, the forest department personnel informed their higher authorities about it, following which a team of veterinarians conducted an autopsy in the presence of senior forest officials and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) representatives. The carcass was later consigned to flames as per the NTCA guidelines.

On April 25, a female tiger cub was found dead in the BTR. The cub, about eight months old, was killed in an attack by a male tiger, the official said.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Dr. J S Chauhan said, ''With the death of a tigress in BTR, eighteen tigers have died in the state so far this year.'' Between January 8 and April 24, a total of 17 tigers had died across the state, officials had said earlier this week.

According to the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh was home to 526 tigers, the highest in any state in the country. The state has several tiger reserves, including Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, and Panna.

Pointing out problems in the conservation of tigers in Madhya Pradesh and the increasing number of deaths, RTI activist Ajay Dube said decreasing prey base inside the forest reserves and reduction in forest cover because of unplanned development were restricting the movement of tigers and resulting in their untimely deaths.

The traps set up by people near forest areas to kill wild boars and other such animals are also resulting in the death of tigers as many times they got trapped in it, he said. 

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