International Tiger Day: Madhya Pradesh Loses 28 Big Cats Till July

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh, home to largest tiger population in the country with 785 big cats, has also recorded the highest tiger mortality this year. By July 2025, the state has lost 28 tigers, including adults, semi-adults and cubs.

Wildlife experts fear the number could rise by year-end. They cite overcrowding in reserves as a major reason behind increasing territorial fights, which often turn fatal.

“Most reserves are saturated, but there’s scope to improve tiger density in Sanjay Dubri, Nauradehi, Ratapani, and to some extent in Madhav National Park. Authorities also need to look beyond protected areas and focus on buffer zones and forests outside reserves,” said JS Chouhan, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).

Another key concern is the poor state of tiger corridors, which are crucial for gene flow and safe movement of tigers between habitats.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey flagged the lack of attention towards corridor conservation. “If tiger corridors continue to be neglected, gene flow will be severely affected in future,” he said.

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Each tiger reserve is linked to multiple corridors that allow tigers to move through surrounding areas and connect with other reserves. But increasing human population and habitat fragmentation are putting these natural pathways under stress. “Time has come to strengthen corridors—they’re the future battlegrounds,” said Rajnesh Singh, Deputy Director of Pench Tiger Reserve.

A forest officer pointed to a serious fund crunch. “We’re struggling to manage tigers with current funds, let alone maintain corridors,” he said. A retired senior forest officer said that many wildlife corridors are vanishing. “The department must reclaim and restore corridor habitats to make them functional again.”

Clashes rise

This year has also seen a spike in human-tiger conflict. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve has reported highest number of tiger attack cases, highlighting dangers of overcrowding and lack of movement space for big cats.