Mumbai, March 13 (IANS) The Maharashtra government, on Friday, told the State Legislative Council that in the year 2025, 166 tiger deaths were recorded in the country, of which 41 occurred in the state.

Independent MLC Satyajeet Tambe along with others had raised questions on the death of tigers in Maharashtra in the year 2025 and steps taken by the state government to curb the deaths.

State Forest Minister Ganesh Naik in a written reply said that of the 166 tiger deaths in the country, 41 occurred in Maharashtra in the year 2025.

He added that on January 7, 2026, a tiger cub was found dead and preliminary investigations suggest the death was caused by a fight among tigers.

Similarly, another decomposed carcass of another tiger cub was found. Prima facie, this death appears to be due to natural causes.

“Regular patrolling is conducted in hypersensitive areas by teams of the Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF). Additionally, hunting activities are monitored through dog squad patrols. Field staff have been provided with mobiles equipped with the M-Stripes system to track suspicious movements,” Minister Naik added.

Measures that are implemented at the field level for tiger conservation, include strategies for the protection of tigers, leopards, and other wildlife are formulated during District Level Tiger Committee meetings.

“Informers have been appointed at the range level to gather intelligence on illegal poachers, and action is taken based on the information received. Secret service funds are utilised for this purpose. A wireless communication system has been activated in hypersensitive areas,” the Minister said.

The Minister in his reply added that protection huts and observation towers have been constructed to maintain focus on necessary forest locations.

“To maintain up-to-date information on wildlife crimes in the state, a Wildlife Crime Cell has been established at the Office of the Nagpur Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and is currently being strengthened. Furthermore, a Cyber Cell established in the Melghat Tiger Project is used to track accused individuals involved in poaching incidents. Checkposts have been set up at necessary points in hypersensitive areas to conduct regular inspections of incoming and outgoing vehicles. A fortnightly tracking programme for tigers and leopards is implemented at the range level to monitor their presence. Inspections of nomadic settlements near villages are conducted to monitor their movements,” the Minister said.

“Surveillance of suspicious activities is maintained by installing camera traps at tiger corridors, water bodies, and other critical locations. Additionally, water bodies are regularly inspected to prevent poisoning. Metal detectors are also used to ensure that hunters have not placed iron traps on paths leading to water sources,” he added.

–IANS

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