Parliament Question: Death of tigers in Bandhavgarh

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3121 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2026 Death of tigers in Bandhavgarh 3121. SHRI SHAKTISINH GOHIL: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) the number of tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh during 2025; (b) whether such deaths are the highest since the launch of the Project Tiger; (c) the causes of such deaths; and (d) the steps being taken by Government to ensure the safety and health of tigers? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) As reported by the State, 08 tiger deaths have occurred in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve during 2025. (b) & (c) No. The tiger deaths reported in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in year 2025 are comparatively less than the average tiger deaths for the last three years which ranges from 9 to 14 tiger deaths per year. The average life span of the tigers in the wild is generally 10-12 years and natural and unnatural factors like old age, diseases, internecine fights, electrocution, snaring, drowning, road, rail hits and a very high infant mortality observed in tigers account for majority of tiger deaths. Due to efforts of the Government of India through the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the tiger has been taken from the brink to an assured path of recovery, which is evident in findings of the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation exercise. These results have shown a healthy annual growth rate of tigers at 6%, which offsets natural losses and keeps tigers at the habitats carrying capacity level, in the Indian context. (d) The steps taken by the Government of India through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for the conservation and protection of tigers is as under:- 1. Generic measures  Providing assistance to States under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH) of Project Tiger component for protection, infrastructure and antipoaching operations (including deployment of Tiger Protection Force and Special Tiger Protection Force) which is now ongoing as the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger & Elephant Disseminating of real time information of backward / forward linkages relating to poachers / wildlife criminals.  Performing supervisory field visits through the National Tiger Conservation Authority and its regional offices.  Launching tiger reserve level monitoring using camera trap to keep a photo ID database of individual tiger.  Preparing a national database of individual tiger photo to establish linkage with body parts seized or dead tigers.  Assisting States to deploy local workforce in a big way for protection to complement the efforts of field staff.  Sharing of information on seizure of body parts including skin of tigers among tiger range countries to ascertain source area. 2. Security Plan The National Tiger Conservation Authority has issued generic guidelines for formulating a Security Plan for each tiger reserve which is operationalized in the overarching Tiger Conservation Plan which is legally mandated under section 38 V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. 3. Security Audit The National Tiger Conservation Authority has developed a framework for carrying out the assessment of the security threats and for formulating site specific security plan which has been completed in 25 different tiger reserves in Phase-I and action has been initiated for the remaining tiger reserves. 4. M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers Intensive-Protection & Ecological Status) This is an android application which has three distinct modules namely Patrol module, Ecological module and Conflict module. The Patrol module inter-alia is a mechanism to ensure accountability of front line staff vis-à-vis anti-poaching efforts and useful for the tiger reserve management to strengthen protection measures, based on data that is generated through M-STrIPES. 5. Amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 The Government of India amended the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and enhanced punishment for offence in relation to the core area of a tiger reserve or where the offence relates to hunting in the tiger reserves or altering the boundaries of tiger reserves. Further, funding assistance is provided under the Project Tiger Component of the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (CSS-IDWH) to tiger range States for conservation of tigers, raising awareness on tiger & other wildlife conservation, habitat management, protection, eco-development, human resource and infrastructure development, voluntary village relocation, as per sanctioned Annual Plan of Operation of the Tiger Reserve, which stems out from a statutory Tiger Conservation Plan. *****