BHOPAL: India, home to the world’s largest tiger population, has lost as many as 166 of these majestic animals in 2025, forty more than the previous year, due to various reasons, as per the latest data of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The data also shows that Madhya Pradesh, dubbed the country’s ‘tiger state’, recorded the highest number of deaths at 55. Among other states, Maharashtra, Kerala and Assam reported 38, 13 and 12 tiger deaths, respectively, in the bygone year.
Of these 166 deceased tigers, 31 were cubs.
Experts feel territorial infighting due to space crunch was the major reason for the death of the felines.
The figures indicate that the country recorded 40 more tiger deaths in 2025 as compared to the previous year (2024) when it lost 126 of these big cats, the apex predators in the ecosystem who are considered to be at the top of the food chain.
The first tiger fatality of the bygone year was reported from the Bramhapuri forest division in Maharashtra on January 2, where an adult male tiger died. This was followed by the death of a female tiger inside the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh three days later.
The most recent death of an adult male tiger was reported from North Sagar in Madhya Pradesh on December 28, as per the NTCA data.
Wildlife expert Jairam Shukla, who has written extensively on tigers, said territorial infighting was a major cause behind tiger deaths in the country.
“The tiger population has reached a saturation point. They are facing problems in space to establish their territories,” he contended.
Referring to Madhya Pradesh, Shukla said the state has witnessed around a 60 per cent increase in tiger population since 2014. “This growth is unprecedented. The question is where is the territory for them? They are fighting over space and dying in MP where their population has grown exponentially,” he said.
India’s tiger population rose to 3,682 in 2022, accounting for nearly 75 per cent of the global total. Madhya Pradesh leads with 785 tigers. Officials said most recent tiger deaths in the state were due to natural causes, mainly among cubs and dispersing juveniles, while poaching cases remain limited and are being strictly investigated and prosecuted.