Archive · 21 Jan 2026
High Court Issues Notice on 55 Tiger Deaths in Madhya Pradesh
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has asked the government to explain why so many tigers have died in the state.
In 2025, 55 tigers died, which is the highest number in one year since a program to protect tigers started in 1973.
More than half of these deaths were not natural, like being killed by poachers, getting electrocuted, or fighting with other tigers.
A dead tigress was found near a village in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, and officials think it might have died from fighting with another tiger.
There are also concerns about tiger trafficking and poaching in the state, especially in the Shahdol-Bandhavgarh region and Ratapani Tiger Reserve.
Madhya Pradesh High Court issued a notice to the central and state governments regarding 55 tiger deaths in 2025, the highest in a single year since Project Tiger started in 1973.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court, alleging tiger trafficking and poaching in the state, with the highest mortality rate reported in the Shahdol-Bandhavgarh region and Ratapani Tiger Reserve.
The latest tiger death, a 5-year-old tigress found on private land near Gurwahi village in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, was attributed to intra-species conflict, with no mention of poaching.
Most tiger deaths in the state are due to electrocution from electric wires laid by poachers in the forest.
The forest department followed standard procedures, including a post-mortem examination, sample collection, and cremation of the carcass.
- Who
- Madhya Pradesh High Court, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), RTI activist Ajay Dubey, PIL petitioner
- What
- Notice issued regarding 55 tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh in 2025, including allegations of tiger trafficking and poaching
- When
- 2025 (year of tiger deaths), December 2025 (discovery of latest carcass), January 2026 (cremation of latest carcass)
- Where
- Madhya Pradesh, India (specifically Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Ratapani Tiger Reserve)
- Why
- To address the high number of tiger deaths and investigate the causes, including unnatural deaths like poaching, electrocution, and intra-species conflict
- Total tiger population in the world
- 5,421
- India's tiger population
- 3,167
- Madhya Pradesh's tiger population
- 785
- Tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh in 2025
- 55
- Percentage of unnatural tiger deaths
- 57%
- Year Project Tiger started
- 1973
- Location of suspicious tiger carcass
- Chandia forest range, Umaria district, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
- Recent tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh
- Ratapani Tiger Reserve
- Location of latest tigress death
- Gurwahi village, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
- Probable cause of latest tigress death
- Intra-species conflict
Sources
MP News: High Court Notice To State Government, NTCA, MoEFCC On 54 Tiger Deaths In 2025
MP News: 5-Year-Old Tigress Dies In Territorial Fight In Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
