MP: Big cat found dead in Umaria, fourth tiger death since January

A tiger was found dead near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in MP’s Umaria district on Monday, taking the number of big cat deaths in the state to four this year. So far nine tiger deaths have been reported from across the country this year.

Published on: Feb 22, 2016, 20:48:36 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

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A tiger was found dead near the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in MP’s Umaria district on Monday, taking the number of big cat deaths in the state to four this year. So far nine tiger deaths have been reported from across the country this year.

Last year, Madhya Pradesh recorded country’s third highest tiger mortality with 11 tiger deaths. (File photo)

Last year, Madhya Pradesh recorded country’s third highest tiger mortality with 11 tiger deaths, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The first big cat death in the country this year was also reported from MP’s Pench Tiger Reserve on January 2.

Carcass of the big cat was found about 100-km from the reserve near the National Highway 78 -- that connects Katni and Shahdol -- in a roadside trench by locals. The animal is suspected to have been hit by a vehicle on the national highway, sub divisional officer (SDO) Umaria AK Tiwari said.

“There are four points on the NH-78 that are used by tigers as corridors to move from one part of the reserve to another. The tiger was found on one of the four such passes,” Tiwari said, adding that the animal seemed to be a female.

In May last year, a tiger succumbed to its injuries after it was hit by a train in Sehore district. The injured animal was found near a rail track in Budhni’s Midhghat area near Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary.

Once known as the ‘Tiger State’ with maximum number of striped cats, Madhya Pradesh lost the tag to Karnataka which is home to 300 tigers (as per 2010 Wildlife Census). The Census 2015 showed the number of big cats increased from 257 in 2010 to 308 in MP, but with 15 tigers deaths since 2015 the situation continued to remain bleak for big cats.

Tiger deaths in MP in 2016

Date------------Location---------Cause of death

February 22--- Umaria district--- Hit by vehicle

January 31--- Pench Tiger Reserve--- Infected with septicemia

January 9--- Eastern Chhindwara--- Electrocuted

January 2--- Buffer Pench Tiger Reserve--- Fell into well

Source: NTCA website and state government

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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