The state has lost 32 tigers in the first five months of 2026. Poaching is under control, but electrified fencing outside core areas has emerged as a major threat to the big cat. Canine distemper virus has killed a tigress and four cubs, raising concerns KanhaFive months, 32 dead tigers and not nearly enough answers. The recent incident of death of big cats, including a tigress and her four cubs, in Kanha in Madhya Pradesh has once again put the famous tiger reserves of the state in the spotlight. However, the real story behind the increasing numbers of big cats may not be inside their protected boundaries, but outside them. Forest officials said the most recent deaths have occurred outside the main reserve areas, where growing tiger populations are increasingly clashing with human-dominated landscapes. Here, crude electric wire traps – often laid illegally to kill wild boars and other animals for bushmeat or to protect crops – are emerging as one of the biggest threats to the big cats.Poaching networks that were once linked to international wildlife trade syndicates have been largely dismantled, officials said. However, in their place, a more localized and difficult to monitor threat has spread across the state. Electric shock is now at the center of changing patterns of tiger deaths.treacherous terrainAccording to the latest tiger estimation done in 2022, Madhya Pradesh is home to 785 out of India’s total tiger population of 3,682. The state has seen the fastest growth in tiger numbers in the country, recording an increase of 49% between 2018 and 2022 – almost double the national growth rate of 24%.But although the number of tigers has increased, their habitat has not expanded at the same pace. The result, officials said, is the increasing spread of big cats into protected forests and beyond reserve boundaries. Tigers are highly territorial animals and often come into conflict with members of their own species, often forcing weaker, older or younger tigers to move out in search of new territories.As sanctuaries become increasingly overcrowded, many tigers are increasingly moving into buffer forests, agricultural areas and village outskirts in search of space. Officials estimate that about 40% of the state’s tigers now roam in areas located outside protected areas, while about 20% move through heavily human-dominated landscapes surrounded by roads, farms and power lines.
Forest officials said the pattern of tiger deaths in the state is changing due to the increasing overlap between tiger movement routes and human settlements. Nearly 80% of tiger deaths reported this year have occurred outside protected areas, with many of the carcasses recovered several kilometers away from reserve forests. Dispersion activities often bring tigers into direct conflict with villages, while they also face threats in agricultural areas where electrified wires are used illegally to deter or kill herbivorous animals such as wild boars and nilgai.Samita Rajora, MP’s chief wildlife warden, said electric shock has emerged as one of the most significant threats in these marginal landscapes. “Our analysis shows that seven tigers died this year due to electric shock, mainly from wire traps set up to protect wild meat or farm animals,” he said.Officials said many such traps involve illegal tapping of traditional 11kV power lines used for domestic and agricultural supply in villages on the fringes of forests. According to Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) chief Ritesh Sirothia, poachers or those hunting for meat of wild animals often trap them using overhead lines using bamboo poles and create crude live-wire traps by extending the wires in the path of the animals.“When an animal comes in contact with the wire, it receives a severe electric shock, causing burns, paralysis and, in most cases, death,” Sirothia said. “Electric line tripping records become vital evidence in such cases. Whenever a person, animal or object touches a live wire, it causes the line to short out to ground, triggering tripping of the power supply. These records record the exact time, date, duration and location of the interruption, and often help establish timelines and confirm incidents of poaching.“According to officials, areas along the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Pench Tiger Reserve are currently emerging as particularly sensitive areas. “We are focusing on these high-risk areas and strengthening coordination with the power and revenue departments. Efforts are underway to analyze power-line trip data along with GPS locations to identify lightning strike hotspots,” Rajora said.numbers tell a storyComprehensive mortality data reflects the changing nature of threats facing Madhya Pradesh’s tiger population. In 2025, the state recorded the death of 55 tigers – meaning the mortality rate is about 7%, slightly higher than the national average of 5%, though officials said this is within ecological limits given the state’s density and growing tiger numbers.According to state forest department data, about 69% of these deaths were due to natural or accidental causes, including territorial fights, disease, age, road and train accidents and injuries sustained during conflict. At least 13 deaths involved cubs under one year of age – a category known to have a naturally high mortality rate and, therefore, is excluded from national tiger estimates.But officials acknowledge that more worrying trends lie elsewhere. Nearly one in every five tiger deaths recorded in the state last year was linked to electrocution, mainly from illegal electrical wiring. However, officials said most of these incidents did not involve evidence of deliberate tiger hunting or illegal trade of body parts. About 11% of deaths fall into the category of confirmed poaching cases – instances where tiger body parts were recovered and accused persons were identified or arrested.Officials highlighted that MP’s comparatively high detection rate of tiger deaths also shapes the numbers. Based on 2025 data, the national tiger mortality detection rate was around 54%, while MP recorded a higher detection rate of around 84%. Officials attribute this to intensive patrolling and monitoring systems that ensure that most tiger deaths occurring in remote regional divisions and buffer areas are ultimately detected and documented.Wire Traps, Deadly by DesignWhile poaching networks have weakened over the years, officials say the threat has increasingly shifted to decentralized actors – bush poachers and farmers who use crude electrified wire nets and fences to protect crops.Recent cases show how brutal and difficult to trace these deaths can be. In Seoni, a tigress died after being electrocuted by an illegal live-wire setup near a farm. Its body was dumped in a well, in what investigators suspect was an attempt to destroy evidence. Burnt wires were recovered from the spot and forensic investigation conducted under National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol confirmed the cause of death to be electric shock.In another case, in Chhindwara, a radio-collared tiger shifted from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to Satpura Tiger Reserve was reportedly poisoned and buried, while its collar was burnt to avoid identification. Investigators suspect that the murder may be linked to illegal activities, including opium cultivation, in the area. Officials also acknowledged that delays in responding to caller signals exposed flaws in surveillance systems.The risk is not new and the warnings are not new. In 2018, the then Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) and Principal Secretary of the Energy Department had jointly issued instructions to all field officers, calling for coordinated action to prevent the death of wildlife due to electric shock, including joint patrolling, monitoring of power lines and real-time response to line faults. But there has been very little change on the ground.Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said the electricity department has been reluctant to share the responsibility. “If they had come forward for joint patrolling and immediate data sharing, the problem of electric shock could have been prevented,” he said.However, officials said preventive efforts are now being intensified through coordinated patrolling in sensitive areas, monitoring of illegal electricity connections, awareness campaigns in marginal villages and action under the Electricity Act, 2003.Danger of ‘killer’ virusIf lightning is increasingly becoming a major threat outside reserves, disease outbreaks are highlighting the risks within core habitats. Recently, the Kanha Tiger Reserve has been battling an outbreak of canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly contagious disease spread from domesticated dogs to wild carnivores. The outbreak killed five tigers from the same family – a tigress and her four cubs.In response, forest officials initiated emergency containment measures in the buffer villages adjacent to the Kanha Reserve. Around 100 dogs in eight villages have already been vaccinated, while a 2 sq km forest area linked to the outbreak has been sealed.Rajora said the department has activated a multi-layered response to prevent further spread. “Since the virus spreads through dogs, vaccination in buffer villages is important. We have initiated quarantine measures, vaccination drives and intensive surveillance in the affected landscape,” she said.Officials said water bodies inside the quarantine zone were drained, disinfected using lime and bleaching powder, and temporarily sealed to prevent other wildlife from accessing potentially contaminated sources. Forest teams have also restricted the movement of tourists and closed entry points into the area.
