Madhya Pradesh, Known As 'Tiger State' Has Lost 17 Big Cats In Just Last Nine Months

Madhya Pradesh is famous for many of its cultural and biological abundance. This state is also known as the 'tiger state', has lost 17 big cats so far this year, as per the figures of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). According to PTI, wildlife activists have blamed the bureaucracy's lethargy for the death of tigers, a charge denied by the state's top wildlife officer.

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India is currently home to 70 per cent of the world's tiger population in over 17 states and 50 sanctuaries across the country. According to NTCA's figures, 17 tigers died in India between January 1 and September 29 this year. Of these, 17 died in MP, followed by 14 in Karnataka, 12 each in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, six in Uttar Pradesh, four in Assam, two each in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and one each in Odisha and Rajasthan, as per the data.

In MP, three tigers died last month. While two felines died on September 24 and September 29 at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, one death was reported on September 25 in Pench Tiger Reserve. In April, eight tiger deaths were reported from the state, as per the NTCA's data.

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Of the total 100 tiger deaths in India last year, 30 were reported from Madhya Pradesh, according to the figures of NTCA, which is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey alleged that MP has turned into a "tiger killing state." The bureaucrats lack the will to protect tigers, said Dubey, the founder of NGO Prayatna which is working for tiger conservation in the state.

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The prey base of tigers has shrunk and that is why the striped animals are moving out of the protected areas, leading to man-animal conflict, he said. If a tiger often kills domestic animals in a village, the people there either poison it or kill it, he said. The Tigers are moving out of the protected areas as the grasslands where they prey have thinned due to the management's failure, he said.

The principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) of MP Jitendra Agrawal informed that the state ideal in terms of wildlife management in the country and refuted the charge of poaching. He also said that the state's Tiger Strike Force was doing an excellent work.