Tiger deaths see 25% increase from last year: Anil Madhav Dave

Tiger deaths have registered an increase of 25% this year, with the toll recorded at 98 compared to last year's 78. The data was shared by Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. The figure includes deaths due to natural causes and poaching, besides cases where the cause is unclear and under investigation.

Instances of poaching too have doubled as compared to the previous year. 29 cases of poaching have been recorded till November, while last year a total of 14 cases were registered. According to the reply in Parliament, all tiger ranges barring Jharkhand have shown the tiger population either increasing or remaining stable.

Jharkhand's tiger population, however, has gone down from 10 to 3. The total number of tigers across 44 tiger reserves is at 1,586. The top five reserves in terms of tiger population are Jim Corbett (261 tigers), Bandipur (134 tigers), Kaziranga (115 tigers), Nagarahole (113 tigers), Kanha (90) tigers.