Tiger State Madhya Pradesh lost 290 tigers in 19 years
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MADHYA Pradesh has lost 290 tigers over the last 19 years but the Central Indian State still has more than 675 tigers, including 125 cubs, in the designated reserves and in the wild, a top Forest Department official said on Monday. Claiming that the population of tigers has actually “gone up”, he said Madhya Pradesh will continue to remain the “tiger State of India”. The official said only five per cent of the deaths of big cats had occurred due to poaching or in man-animal conflicts. Most of the deaths of the tigers occurred either in territorial fights or due to natural causes, he added. “Madhya Pradesh has lost 290 tigers so far since 2002,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Alok Kumar reported. >However, there are 550 big cats in tiger reserves in Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay Gandhi reserve and in the wild, he said, adding that there are 125 cubs in the parks. Kumar said about 10 to 20 more tiger cubs might be roaming in the wild. “They can’t be captured as they might be deep inside the jungles. When they turn young and venture out, we would be able to see them,” he added. Kumar said movements of tigers were recorded through camera traps, patrolling and other means. Asked about the deaths of 290 tigers since 2002, Kumar said, “As the number of tigers has risen, they are fighting for territorial control. We are losing 25 to 30 striped animals every year. See link below to read more on this story.