Bhopal, Apr 24 (PTI) A tiger cub was found dead in the core area of Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha reserve, taking the number of big cat deaths in the state to 22 since January this year, an official said on Friday.
The carcass of the cub, aged between one to one-and-a-half years, was found in the Sargi region in the core area of the Kanha Tiger Reserve, spread across Mandla and Balaghat districts, on Thursday evening, its Deputy Director Amita B said.
“The post-mortem of the cub was conducted on Friday and we are awaiting its report (to know the exact cause of death),” she said.
Prima facie, it appears the cub may not have been fed by its mother, leading to death by starvation, the official added.
She said another cub of the same tigress died three days ago.
“The tigress had delivered four cubs, of which two have died. We are closely monitoring the tigress and the remaining two cubs,” she added.
According to National Tiger Conservation Authority data, Madhya Pradesh, home to nine reserves, has recorded 22 tiger deaths, including of cubs, so far this year.
The first death of 2026 was reported on January 7 in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, officials said.
Well-known wildlife activist Ajay Dubey expressed concern over the rising tiger deaths in the state.
“Madhya Pradesh ranks first in tiger deaths, including unnatural deaths, which is worrying,” he maintained.
Dubey claimed lack of monitoring and patrolling contributed to such incidents and demanded accountability from forest department officials.
He cited a recent case in the Panna Tiger Reserve where a decomposed carcass was found nearly 20 days after the big cat’s death. PTI LAL RSY
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