With 15 deaths, 2023 worst year for tigers in state
According to the NCTA, 9 out of the 15 tigers had died outside the reserves, which are protected zones. DT Next reports
File photo of a tiger carcass
CHENNAI: The year 2023 has been the worst since 2020 for conservationists in Tamil Nadu as the State recorded 15 tiger deaths during that year. Sadly, of the 15 tigers, 6 were cubs.
As per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) data, 9 out of 15 tigers died outside the tiger reserves, which are protected zones.
Of the 9 that died outside the reserves, 8 were in The Nilgiris Forest area. One adult tiger died in the Kargudi forest, which is close to Mudumalai.
Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve recorded 2 tiger deaths each in 2023. One tiger died in Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve. Shockingly, as many as 10 tigers, including 4 cubs, had died between August 16 and September 19 in the State. Carcasses of two tigresses are yet to be located.
In 2020, as many as 8 tigers died and in 2021, only 4 tigers had died. Three tigers had died in 2022. “Apart from the reserves, these big cats are present in tiger bearing ranges like Gudalur, The Nilgiris, Coimbatore and others. Higher mortality in 2023 is due to the death of more cubs, which is a chance increase. If there the cubs hadn’t died, numbers would have been lower. It’s a concern only if tigers die in an unnatural way,” said Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy.
He also explained that during the Tiger Census exercises, cubs would not be counted as less than 50% cubs survive beyond one or two years of age. “The forest department also ensures a sufficient number of cubs are born each year by regular monitoring using camera traps,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the country had lost 177 tigers in 2023 with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh witnessing 45 and 40 deaths respectively. “Additionally, 54% of these deaths took place outside the reserves. While the average lifespan of a tiger in the wild is around 10-12 years, 40% of deaths in 2023 are of cubs and sub-adults, which have naturally high mortality rates due to tiger land tenurial dynamics. Of the cases where the cause was confirmed, the trend is evident with more than 77% being due to natural causes or causes not attributable to poaching,” the NTCA said.
A study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and NTCA had already warned that the biosphere reserve was one of the largest hotspot areas for invasion of alien species. This adversely impacts the survival of tigers as the latter depends on high densities of herbivores, which require large wilderness areas with lots of nutritional forage.