126 tiger deaths recorded in India this year: NTCA
New Delhi: As many as 126 tigers died in India in 2021, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) said on Thursday, asserting that it is looking into the cause of the recent death of a big cat in Madhya Pradesh.
A tiger was found dead in Chhindwara of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, taking this year's toll in the state to 44. According to reports, two days ago, a tigress died in the state's Dindori area allegedly due to poisoning.
As per the NTCA, the maximum tiger deaths this year took place in Madhya Pradesh (44), followed by 26 in Maharashtra and 14 in Karnataka.
An official from the NTCA said the number of tiger deaths has increased in 2021, and investigations are ongoing.
The official, who did not wish to be named, said several measures are being taken to protect tigers which include patrolling and arresting people for poaching.
He said there can be many causes for the death as the population of tigers is huge, and a standard operating procedure (SoP) is followed to ascertain the reasons.
The official said the tiger death is under scrutiny of the state as well as the NTCA.
The official also rejected reports that claimed the tigress in Madhya Pradesh died due to poisoning in Dindora, saying they are mere assumptions as scrutiny takes time.
"Ongoing process to protect tigers like patrolling is going on, and a lot of people have been arrested for poaching too. We are doing everything to protect the tigers, but we should also understand that nearly 30 per cent of them are outside tiger reserves," the official said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment on Thursday said tiger population in the country has been taken from the brink to an assured path of recovery, which is evident from quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation reports showing healthy annual growth of 6 per cent.
It said due to the efforts of the government through the NTCA, tiger population has been taken from the brink to an assured path of recovery, which is evident in findings of the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation conducted in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018".
These results have shown a healthy annual growth rate of tigers at 6 per cent, which offsets natural losses and keeps tigers at the habitats carrying capacity level, in the Indian context, it said.
The ministry further stated that for the period from 2012 to 2021, one can observe that the average tiger deaths per year in the country hover around 98, which is balanced by the annual recruitment as highlighted by the robust growth rate.
Referring to 126 instances of tiger deaths, the environment ministry said it can ascertain the cause of death only after a detailed analysis.
In this light, it is pertinent to mention that the NTCA, through a dedicated standard operating procedure, has a stringent protocol to ascribe cause to a tiger death, which is treated as unnatural, unless otherwise proved by the state concerned through submission of necropsy reports, histopathological and forensic assessments besides photographs and circumstantial evidences.
It is only after a detailed analysis of these documents that the cause of death of 60 tigers outside tiger reserves can be ascertained, it noted.
The ministry asserted that it is expected that the media will inform the aforesaid facts, to the country so that there is no sensationalism and citizens are not led to believe that there is cause for alarm.
