NEW DELHI: Almost an entire tiger family including a mother and her three sub-adult cubs has died within a span of nine days at the world-renowned Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) in Madhya Pradesh. The only remaining cub, which is critically ill, is currently under treatment.
The spate of deaths between April 21 and 29 has occurred despite claims by officials that high-tech surveillance and monitoring systems are in place, and that approximately ₹40 crore is received annually for the reserve under Project Tiger.
The mother tiger, identified as T-141, died on Wednesday (April 29) during treatment at the reserve’s quarantine centre in the Mukki area. The tigress, along with her last surviving and seriously ill cub, had been tranquilised and rescued three days earlier and brought in for treatment.
The tigress had been active with her four cubs in the Sarhi area of KTR.
Authorities at KTR carried out the rescue following the deaths of the tigress’s three cubs—two males and one female—within a span of five days. The first cub was found dead on April 21. The second cub’s decomposed carcass was discovered on April 24, and the third (female) cub was found dead on April 25. All the deceased cubs were around a year old.
Initially, forest department officials stated that the first two cubs were found with empty stomachs during post-mortem examinations, raising suspicions of death due to starvation. However, after the third cub’s death, officials attributed the cause to a lung infection.
According to KTR Deputy Director Prakash Kumar Verma, the deaths were due to a lung infection.
Nevertheless, the incidents have raised serious concerns over the management and administration of the state forest department, as well as the monitoring by field staff at the reserve.
“Such a spate of deaths clearly points to severe negligence by the KTR authorities,” wildlife activist Ajay Dubey told The Statesman on Wednesday.
“These incidents are a stark example of failure in monitoring by field staff, and accountability must be fixed, with action taken against those found responsible,” Dubey demanded.
“The last remaining cub undergoing treatment at the quarantine centre is also in critical condition, raising concerns about its chances of survival,” Dubey added.
With the death of the tigress today, the number of tiger deaths in KTR has risen to five in April, including one adult tigress that died on April 5 in the Kanhari beat.
Madhya Pradesh, which had 785 tigers as per the 2022 census—the highest in the country—has lost 26 tigers, including cubs, since January 7 this year, when the first death of 2026 was reported in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. - The Statesman/ANN
