Deaths take sheen off higher tiger numbers

Between 2018 and 2022, India added 751 tigers in the wild while it lost 551. According to the latest tiger census conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the tiger population has gone up from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,167 in 2022.  The net increase of 200 is overshadowed by the 551 deaths. One of the main reasons is said to be habitat loss and direct or indirect conflict with humans.

As many as 418 tigers died due to natural reasons like territorial fights and disease. Of the 133 unnatural deaths, 114 tigers died due to poaching and 19 in accidents or “termination” due to conflict with humans. The estimates do not include the deaths of cubs whose mortality is high. 

Experts say that an increase in the number of unnatural deaths is a matter of concern as a majority of cases like poaching and road accidents could be mitigated. “Each tiger controls its territory and balances the ecology. In an unnatural incident, that tiger is taken away, disturbing its territory,” said a forest officer.

“Nearly 20 per cent of the total tiger deaths are due to unnatural reasons, which is a worry,” says conservation biologist Sanjay Gubbi. 

He highlights that certain pockets of tiger reserves have neared their carrying capacity, resulting in human-animal conflicts. “There is a greater need to decipher unnatural deaths and understand the root cause of those deaths to take mitigation measures,” he says. Experts point out that the actual numbers could be much higher than official figures.

A considerable number of elephants have also lost their lives to unnatural causes. 

Between 2017 and 2022, the country lost nearly 687 elephants due to unnatural reasons. In 2017, India was home to 29,964 elephants. A five-year census to count the elephants was supposed to be conducted in 2021. However, the Union government decided to merge both the elephant and tiger census in 2022. 

Speaking to DH, K Muthamizh Selvan, senior scientist at Project Elephant, said the data related to the elephant population is expected to be announced by December.

The enumeration has aroused curiosity among wildlife activists given the increase in the number of unnatural deaths over the years. According to data from Parliament replies, of the total 687 elephants killed due to unnatural reasons, 110 died in train accidents, 460 were electrocuted, 85 were poached and 25 were poisoned. Unlike tigers, there is no consolidation of data on the total number of elephant deaths. Selvan says there is no need to record natural deaths of elephants. “We need data related to unnatural deaths to chalk out plans to mitigate human-animal conflicts,” Selvan said.

Karnataka is among the very few states that have been uploading the deaths, both natural and unnatural, of elephants on its official website. The state recently announced that in the last four years, it has added 350 elephants in its wild. In the last three years, the state lost 176 elephants, including 40 due to unnatural deaths. A senior Karnataka Forest Department official, who did not wish to be named, said the state forests are in a catch-22 situation. “There are at least two tiger reserves which can hold more tigers and elephants than their current holding capacity. Three others have reached their saturation level. Unnatural deaths, especially electrocution, are a major concern for the department as these deaths are caused due to human-animal conflict. We need to find a balancing act by providing safe corridors for both tigers and elephants,” he said.