Executive Summary:
This document answers a parliamentary question regarding tiger deaths in Maharashtra. It provides the current tiger population as of 2022, details tiger deaths due to poaching and natural causes over the past five years and the current year (2020-2025), and outlines steps taken by the Government to curb poaching and ensure tiger conservation in the state.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Tiger Population:**
* As per the 2022 All India Tiger Estimation, the tiger population in Maharashtra is 444.
* **Tiger Mortality (2020-2025):**
* The following table shows the number of tiger deaths in Maharashtra:
* 2020: 3 (Natural), 4 (Poaching), 7 (Total)
* 2021: 6 (Natural), 6 (Poaching), 12 (Total)
* 2022: 1 (Natural), 1 (Poaching), 2 (Total)
* 2023: 6 (Natural), 4 (Poaching), 10 (Total)
* 2024: 4 (Natural), 0 (Poaching), 4 (Total)
* 2025: 0 (Natural), 0 (Poaching), 0 (Total)
* **Government Measures for Tiger Conservation:**
* **Generic Measures:**
* Providing financial assistance to states under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger for protection, infrastructure, and anti-poaching operations.
* Disseminating real-time information on poachers and wildlife criminals.
* Conducting supervisory field visits by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
* Implementing tiger reserve level monitoring using camera traps.
* Preparing a national database of individual tiger photos.
* Assisting states in deploying local workforce for protection.
* Sharing information on seized tiger body parts among tiger range countries.
* **Security Plan:**
* NTCA has issued generic guidelines for formulating a Security Plan for each tiger reserve, operationalized within the Tiger Conservation Plan.
* **Security Audit:**
* NTCA has developed a framework for assessing security threats and formulating site-specific security plans. Audits have been completed in 25 tiger reserves (Phase I), with action initiated for remaining reserves.
* **MSTrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status):**
* Utilizing an android application with modules for patrol, ecological monitoring, and conflict management to ensure accountability of front line staff and strengthen protection measures.
* **Amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972:**
* Enhanced punishment for offenses in core tiger reserve areas, hunting, or altering reserve boundaries.
* Providing funding assistance under the Project Tiger Component of the CSSIDWH to tiger range States for tiger conservation, awareness, habitat management, protection, and ecodevelopment.
Impact Analysis:
* **State Governments (Specifically Maharashtra):**
* Impact: Required to implement the guidelines and utilize the resources provided by the central government for tiger conservation and protection.
* Action Required: Implement security plans, conduct patrols, utilize MSTrIPES, raise awareness, and manage tiger habitats according to the Tiger Conservation Plan and annual plans of operation.
* **National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):**
* Impact: Responsible for overseeing the implementation of tiger conservation measures across the country and providing guidance and support to state governments.
* Action Required: Conduct field visits, provide financial assistance, disseminate information, develop security plans and audit frameworks, and monitor tiger populations and mortality rates.
* **Field Staff (Forest Guards, etc.):**
* Impact: Directly involved in the protection of tigers and their habitats, and responsible for implementing anti-poaching measures.
* Action Required: Conduct patrols, utilize MSTrIPES, enforce laws, and protect tiger habitats from encroachment and poaching.
Key Entities Referenced
Maharashtra: State in India with a tiger population being discussed.
All India Tiger Estimation 2022: A tiger population assessment conducted in India.
National Tiger Conservation Authority: An authority in India responsible for tiger conservation.
Project Tiger: A Centrally Sponsored Scheme for tiger protection and conservation.
Tiger Protection Force: A force deployed for anti-poaching operations and tiger protection.
Special Tiger Protection Force: A specialized force for tiger protection, now under Project Tiger.
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: An Indian legislation providing a legal framework for wildlife protection, amended to enhance punishment for offences in tiger reserves.
MSTrIPES Monitoring System: An android application for monitoring tigers, protection efforts and ecological status.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2478
TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.08.2025
Tiger Deaths in Maharashtra
2478. SHRI ANIL YESHWANT DESAI:
Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to
state:
(a) the current number of tigers in Maharashtra as per the latest available data;
(b) the number of tigers killed for poaching and died due to natural causes in Maharashtra
during the last five years and the current year; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to curb poaching and ensure the safety and
conservation of tigers in the State?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND
CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)
(a) As per the All India Tiger Estimation done in 2022, the current number of tigers in
Maharashtra is 444.
(b) As reported by the State, the number of tigers killed for poaching and died due to
natural causes in Maharashtra during the last five years and the current year are as
under:
S. No. Year Natural Poaching Total
1 2020 3 4 7
2 2021 6 6 12
3 2022 1 2 3
4 2023 6 4 10
5 2024 4 0 4
6 2025 0 0 0
(c) 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
“Project Tiger” 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.
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