177 tigers died last year, highest in Maharashtra

In 2023, India reported a total of 177 tiger deaths, with the highest number of fatalities occurring in Maharashtra, which recorded 45 deaths. This data was provided by the Environment Ministry, which also noted that 40% of the tiger deaths in 2023 were cubs and subadults.

Contrary to some media reports, the ministry clarified that the number of tiger deaths was 177, not 202. The majority of these deaths occurred in states with robust tiger populations and habitats operating at their carrying capacity.

Following Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh reported the second-highest number of deaths at 40, followed by Uttarakhand at 20, Tamil Nadu at 15, and Kerala at 14. Interestingly, 54% of these deaths occurred outside tiger reserves.

India is currently home to over 70% of the world’s wild tigers, with a minimum of 3,167 tigers. The country’s wild tiger population is growing at a healthy rate of 6% per year, balancing the loss of tigers due to natural causes and maintaining the population in line with the habitat’s carrying capacity.

The ministry also highlighted that the average lifespan of a tiger in the wild is around 10-12 years, and that 40% of the tiger deaths in 2023 were cubs and subadults, a demographic that naturally has high mortality rates due to land tenure dynamics among tigers.

India currently has 54 tiger reserves, covering more than 78,000 square kilometers, or over 2.30% of the country’s geographical area. In 2023, a new tiger reserve, “Rani Durgavati”, was introduced.

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