Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Most Power Lines in Kawal Tiger Reserve, Corridor Forests Illegal
Deep in the forests of Telangana in India lives a big cat called the tiger.
Many villages sit inside and near the tiger reserve.
Almost all the electrical wires that bring lights to these villages were put there without permission.
Some people use these wires to make dangerous traps called snares to catch wild animals.
Wild animals like deer and even tigers can get hurt or die from these traps.
People can get hurt too — more than 70 have died since 2014 by touching such wires by accident.
A tiger died in May 2025 after touching a very long electrified wire.
The government has been told by a court to remove all these illegal wires.
Removing them is hard because forest guards must walk through the forest to find them, which is dangerous.
The goal is to keep both people and tigers safe.
Of the 878.781 km of power lines in the Kawal tiger circle, only 22.21 km have required permissions under the Forest Conservation Act.
At least 79 villages in the Kawal tiger circle area used illegally hooked electric wire snares for hunting wildlife between 2019 and 2024.
More than 70 people have died since 2014 from accidentally coming into contact with live electric snares placed to poach wild animals.
A tiger died in May 2025 after coming into contact with a nearly half-kilometre-long electrified wire in Penchikalpet range.
A 2019 Telangana High Court judgement ordered forest, police, power and excise departments to immediately dismantle all unauthorized power lines in Kawal's core and buffer areas.
Officials fear an incident similar to the Bhadradri Kothagudem district death of a forest beat officer from an electrified snare could occur during night patrols.
- Who
- Forest department officials in Telangana and villagers living inside and around the Kawal tiger reserve.
- What
- Nearly all power lines in the Kawal tiger reserve and corridor forests are illegally laid, and the lines are linked to electrified snares used for poaching.
- When
- Reported as a current problem; electric snare use documented between 2019 and 2024, with more than 70 deaths recorded since 2014 and a tiger death in May 2025.
- Where
- Kawal tiger reserve and tiger corridor forests in Telangana, along the route tigers use to enter from Maharashtra.
- Why
- Power lines were laid without mandatory Forest Conservation Act permissions and are vulnerable to illegal tapping for electrified snares used in wildlife poaching.
- Total power lines in Kawal tiger circle
- 878.781 km
- Power lines with forest permissions
- 22.21 km
- Illegal power lines
- 856.871 km
- Villages with electric snare history (2019-2024)
- At least 79
- Human deaths from electrified snares since 2014
- More than 70
- Tiger death from electrified wire
- May 2025, Penchikalpet range
- Highly vulnerable lines inside reserve
- 59.27 km
- 2019 Telangana High Court order
- Dismantle all unauthorized power lines in Kawal core and buffer areas