Tiger Deaths Rise in Numbers, But India’s Conservation Story Holds Firm

India’s tiger conservation story continues to defy global odds. Despite reporting 167 tiger deaths in 2025, including 31 cubs, the overall mortality rate has remained below 5% for four consecutive years, a milestone that conservationists say reflects the underlying strength of India’s tiger recovery.

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), India is home to 3,682 tigers, as per the Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India–2022 report. While annual tiger deaths have fluctuated—182 in 2023, 126 in 2024, and 122 in 2022—the numbers must be viewed against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding population.

The 2022 estimation showed a healthy annual growth rate of 6.1%, comfortably offsetting natural losses. From just 1,411 tigers in 2006, India has nearly tripled its tiger population in less than two decades, now hosting close to 75% of the world’s wild tigers.

This turnaround is widely attributed to sustained government-led conservation efforts, particularly Project Tiger, launched in 1973, and the NTCA, which has overseen its implementation since 2006. Successive All India Tiger Estimations—conducted in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022—have consistently pointed to steady population growth.

Still, conservationists caution against reading low mortality rates as a reason for comfort. R Sreenivasa Murthy, retired IFS officer and architect of the tiger reintroduction programme in Panna, noted that higher numbers naturally lead to higher absolute deaths. “This year’s mortality rate is about 4.53% of the total population. It is not alarming, but every tiger death matters,” he said.

Murthy stressed that each mortality must be carefully examined to determine whether it was natural or caused by preventable factors. Wildlife experts point to electrocution, rail and road accidents, illness, and human-animal conflict as persistent threats.

One such flashpoint remains the Budhni–Midghat railway track, described as a “death trap” for wildlife. Trains frequently exceed speed limits in sensitive zones, leaving tigers little chance to escape. Conservationists have repeatedly called for overpasses and retrofitting of underpasses to reduce fatalities.

NTCA data shows that between 2012 and 2025, 52.5% of tiger deaths occurred inside tiger reserves, while 47.5% took place outside protected areas. Alarmingly, over 80% of seizures of tiger body parts were recorded outside reserves—underscoring the vulnerability of tigers beyond core habitats.

India’s major tiger strongholds remain robust, led by Corbett (260 tigers), followed by Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135) and Dudhwa (135).

As India prepares for the 2026 All India Tiger Estimation—the world’s largest wildlife survey, with results expected in 2027—the message is clear: the numbers tell a success story, but the margins for error are thin. Growth has been achieved, but safeguarding it will demand vigilance, infrastructure reform and zero tolerance for complacency.

(ANI and yMedia are content partners for this story)