Chennai: 2023 worst year for tigers in Tamil Nadu with 15 deaths
Chennai: The year 2023 has been the worst since 2020 for conservationists in Tamil Nadu as the state recorded the death of 15 tigers that year. Sadly, out of the 15 tigers, 6 were cubs.
According to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) data, 9 out of 15 tiger deaths occurred outside tiger reserves, which are protected areas.
Of the 9 people who died outside the reserve, 8 were in the Nilgiri forest area. An adult tiger died in Kargudi forest near Mudumalai.
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve recorded 2 tiger deaths each in 2023. A tiger died in Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve. The shocking thing is that 10 tigers including 4 cubs had died in the state between August 16 and September 19. The bodies of two tigresses have not been found yet.
8 tigers died in 2020 and only 4 tigers died in 2021. Three tigers died in 2022. “Apart from sanctuaries, these big cats are present in tiger reserves like Gudalur, Nilgiris, Coimbatore and others. The higher mortality rate in 2023 is due to more cubs dying, which is a likely increase. If the cubs had not died there the numbers would have been less. Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy said, “It is a matter of concern only when tigers die in an unnatural manner.”
He also pointed out that during the tiger census exercise, cubs will not be counted as less than 50% of the cubs survive beyond the age of one or two years. “The forest department also ensures that a sufficient number of cubs are born every year by regular monitoring using camera traps,” he said.
Meanwhile, the country lost 177 tigers in 2023, while Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reported 45 and 40 deaths, respectively. “Additionally, 54% of these deaths occurred outside the reserve. While the average lifespan of a tiger in the wild is about 10–12 years, 40% of deaths in 2023 are of cubs and sub-adults, which have naturally high mortality rates due to tiger land tenure dynamics. “In cases where the cause was confirmed, the trend was clear that more than 77% were from natural causes or not related to poaching,” the NTCA said.
A study conducted by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and NTCA had already warned that the biosphere reserve is one of the biggest hotspot areas for invasion of alien species. This adversely affects the survival of tigers because tigers depend on high densities of herbivores, which require large forest areas with lots of nutritious forage.
