126 tiger deaths, the highest in a decade reported in 2021
The year end doesn’t spell well for the wildlife and animal lovers of the country, as the National Tiger Conservation Authority has reported 126 tiger deaths in 2021 – the highest in a decade. Sixty of these 126, according to NTCA, died due to poaching, man-animal conflict outside the protected areas and accidents. NTCA has been maintaining the record of the public deaths of the felines since 2012. The data this year has led to concern among the wildlife experts and officials with demand for rigorous conservation efforts and initiatives, especially in the reserve forest areas. The break-up of the figures shows that Madhya Pradesh which has a population of 526 tigers, has registered 41 deaths, the highest number, followed by Maharashtra which has 312 tigers and lost 25, while Karnataka with 524 tigers has registered 15 deaths. Uttar Pradesh with 173 tigers, showed a figure of nine deaths. Wildlife expert suggested that the death toll could be higher as many of the natural deaths occu