Madhya Pradesh records 55th tiger death this year, highest since project tiger launch

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Madhya Pradesh has reported another tiger death, taking the total number of fatalities in the state this year to 55, the highest recorded since the launch of Project Tiger in 1973.

Forest officials said the latest death involved a male tiger aged between eight and ten years. The animal was found in the Sagar region of Bundelkhand, with its carcass discovered near Hilgan village in the Dhana range of the South Forest Division on Sunday.

Local residents alerted the Forest Department after spotting the carcass. Officials subsequently secured the area and summoned a veterinary team to conduct an initial examination.

Senior forest officials said “no external injury marks were found during preliminary examination, though a post-mortem is being conducted to determine the cause of death”.

Authorities are now examining the tiger’s movement history to determine how it reached the area and whether it had previously entered the Dhana range. Forest officials said the animal may have dispersed from the nearby Nauradehi Tiger Reserve.

Providing further details, divisional forest officer Varun Yadav said, “The carcass was discovered in a forest area where tigers have not been documented previously. The animal appeared to be a fully grown male, approximately eight years old. All body parts were intact with no visible external injuries, and no bloodstains were observed on the carcass or in the immediate vicinity.”

The Forest Department has said investigations will continue until the exact cause of death is established through post-mortem findings.