Mumbai, March 13: The Maharashtra government informed the state legislative council on Friday that 166 tiger deaths were recorded across the country in 2025, with 41 occurring in the state.
Independent MLA Satyajit Tambe and other members raised concerns regarding the tiger fatalities in Maharashtra and questioned the measures taken by the state government to prevent these deaths.
Forest Minister Ganesh Naik responded in writing, stating that among the 166 tiger deaths nationwide, 41 were reported in Maharashtra. On January 7, 2026, a dead tiger cub was found, and preliminary investigations suggest it died due to a fight among tigers.
Another cub’s decomposed body was discovered, which appears to have died from natural causes.
Minister Naik emphasized that the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) conducts regular patrols in sensitive areas. Additionally, hunting activities are monitored by teams using tracking dogs. Field staff have been equipped with mobile phones integrated with the M-stripes system to keep an eye on suspicious activities.
Ground-level measures for tiger conservation include strategies for the protection of tigers, leopards, and other wildlife, formulated during district-level tiger committee meetings.
To gather information on poachers, informants have been appointed in border areas, and actions are taken based on the intelligence received. A secret service fund is utilized for this purpose. A wireless communication system has been activated in sensitive regions.
Minister Ganesh Naik noted that security huts and observation towers have been constructed to focus on essential forest areas. He added, “A wildlife crime cell has been established at the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests in Nagpur to maintain updated information on wildlife crimes, and it is currently being strengthened.”
Furthermore, the cyber cell established under the Melghat Tiger Project is used to track individuals involved in poaching incidents. Checkpoints have been set up at critical locations in sensitive areas to conduct regular inspections of incoming and outgoing vehicles. A bi-weekly tracking program has been implemented at the range level to monitor the presence of tigers and leopards. The activities of nomadic settlements near villages are also monitored.
He further stated that camera traps are installed in tiger corridors, water bodies, and other crucial locations to monitor suspicious activities. Regular inspections of water bodies are conducted to prevent the spread of poison. Metal detectors are also employed to ensure that poachers do not lay iron traps along routes leading to water sources.
Leave a Comment