New Delhi: Of the 55 tiger deaths reported in Madhya Pradesh last year, 38, or 69 percent, were due to natural causes—including territorial fights, diseases and accidental deaths—the state government told Madhya Pradesh High Court in a comprehensive affidavit filed last week.
Of the 38, 13 tigers were less than one-year-old—an age group with a high mortality rate. The affidavit also accepted the potential ecological challenges arising due to high-tiger density being witnessed in different national parks of the state. To address this, the state government, in December 2025, had reached out to the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, seeking assistance to address the emerging concerns.
Furthermore, 11 of the 55 tigers—20 percent—lost their lives due to electrocution, predominantly due to illegal electric connections. None of these was due to deliberate intent to hunt tigers or traffic their body parts, the affidavit disclosed.
There were six confirmed poaching cases—11 percent of the total deaths. This, the state said, was detected owing to the “activeness and effectiveness of the intelligence network of field forest officers”. In all these cases, the accused were promptly arrested, showing the state forest officers’ proactive enforcement against illegal activities in the wildlife areas, the affidavit said.
The state had filed its affidavit in response to a high court notice issued on a public interest litigation filed by environment activist Ajay Dubey. Represented by senior advocate Aditya Sanghi, the petitioner has sought a court direction to the MP government to take effective steps to curb tiger deaths, which, according to him, are a result of poaching.
The affidavit referred to cause-wise analysis that conclusively establishes that “tiger mortality in the state is being scientifically assessed, promptly investigated and effectively acted upon”. The assessment, it added, shows allegations of widespread poaching or administrative inaction are factually misconceived.
However, in a frank admission, the affidavit highlighted the statutory limitations its state forest officers face in conducting effective investigation of organised wildlife crime, particularly those offences that involve digital coordination and transnational networks.
Wildlife crime investigating officers are not notified as authorised agencies by the Centre, which would empower them to directly obtain mobile call records from telecom service providers. In the absence of statutory powers to summon crucial information necessary for the probe, the forest officers are compelled to depend upon other departments and central agencies, which results in procedural delays that adversely affect the timelines and effectiveness of investigations, the state submitted.
Though the state government has proactively taken the matter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of Telecom (DoT), it is yet to receive a formal notification from both.
The state complained that the absence of such enabling power underscored “the pressing need for an appropriate Central-level statutory facilitation to strengthen wildlife crime enforcement and effectively curb organisation and transnational wildlife offences”.
On its part, to ensure the forest officers are not demoralised from discharging their function effectively and act decisively, the state said it has taken conscious steps to protect them.
For effective prosecution in courts, the state has initiated steps to set up a dedicated legal cell for the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, one of the biggest prosecutors there. To start with, six exclusive prosecutors would be attached with the department to handle cases arising out of wildlife crime.
According to the All India Tiger Estimation of 2022, MP is home to 785 tigers—over 21 percent of India’s total tiger population, that is 3,682.
The state affidavit outlined the conservation efforts, not confined to protected areas alone, but also extended to corridors and multi-use landscapes. National guidelines are followed for the same, the affidavit asserted.
The state further acknowledged that the tiger mortality rate in MP between 2019 and 2025 was slightly above six percent, while nationally it was below five percent. But the same is attributable to the high growth in the animal’s population in the state, which is almost double the national rate.
Additionally, the state has taken credit for higher detection rate, saying it was on account of its alert and vigilant field staff.
The state affidavit also dives into the reasons behind the MP government’s proactive efforts to protect its tigers. For the state, tiger tourism has played a significant role, placing it on the global tourism map and creating employment opportunities for the local population.
Therefore, it said, the state is committed to protection and conservation of tigers, and has taken steps to ensure ecological sustainability, habitat security and responsible tourism.
In its approach to minimise the big cat’s deaths, the state has worked closely with all stakeholders, including the general public, and adopted a science-led governance, the affidavit said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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