New Delhi: India lost 166 tigers in 2025, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has said. This figure is 40 more than the previous year. The figure is concerning but not alarming, experts say, given the fact that India’s estimated tiger population was recorded at 3,682 in 2022.
Records reveal that 126 tigers died in 2024. The toll in 2023 was 182.
According to the data released by NTCA, Madhya Pradesh, which has the largest number of tigers in the country, lost 55 of the animals during the year. The death tolls for Maharashtra, Kerala and Assam stood at 38, 13 and 12 tigers respectively.
Experts believe that territorial infighting due to a space crunch was the major reason for the death of these magnificent beings. The first tiger fatality of 2025 was reported from the Bramhapuri forest division in Maharashtra on January 2, where an adult male tiger died. This was followed by the death of a female tiger inside the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh three days later.
The most recent death of an adult male tiger was reported from North Sagar in Madhya Pradesh on December 28, as per the NTCA data, as reported by The Hindu. Wildlife expert Jairam Shukla has been quoted as saying that territorial infighting was a major cause behind tiger deaths in the country.
“The tiger population has reached a saturation point. They are facing problems in space to establish their territories,” he contended.
With reference to Madhya Pradesh, Shukla said the State has witnessed around a 60% increase in tiger population since 2014. “This growth is unprecedented. The question is where is the territory for them? They are fighting over space and dying in MP where their population has grown exponentially,” he said.
The last official data released on the big cat estimation on International Tiger Day in 2023, said that India’s tiger population has increased from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022, marking an annual rise of around 6%. India is estimated to host nearly 75% of the world’s tiger population, officials said.
Subharanjan Sen, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Madhya Pradesh, said that the state is likely to record the highest number of deaths as it has the highest tiger population in the world.
“Our department tracks every incident and makes extensive efforts to investigate each case. In cases of poaching, whether intentional or accidental, we leave no stone unturned to ensure punishment for the culprits,” he said.
The department has a strong field patrolling system and follows all Standard Operating Procedures prescribed by the NTCA, he said.
“Every tiger death is treated as a case of poaching unless there is clear evidence to the contrary,” Sen said.
Madhya Pradesh also has a highly effective State Tiger Strike Force (STSF), which has been working successfully against organised wildlife crime, including cases linked to Interpol Red Corner Notices related to tiger poaching, the official added, as per PTI.
Madhya Pradesh had 308 tigers in 2014. This rose to 526 in 2018 and further to 785 in 2022, Sen noted. The figure is likely to increase after the all-India tiger census concludes. This exercise is held once every four years and is being conducted in 2026.
The number of tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh stood at 44 in 2023, 47 in 2024 and 55 so far in 2025. Of these, more than 38 deaths were attributed to natural causes. Five cases of seizure of tiger body parts were also reported.
Data reveals that only 10 of these deaths were due to poaching. Of these, at least seven were described as “non-targeted killings”, where the intent was not to kill a tiger but mostly wild boar. Seven cases involved deaths due to electrocution.
“Even so, all these are treated as cases of tiger poaching and are being prosecuted in courts,” Sen said.
He said tigers are most vulnerable to natural deaths when they are cubs or when they disperse from their natal areas. Tiger cubs remain with their mothers for at least 20 months, after which they, especially males, move out in search of new territories.
“In most forests, these dispersing tigers have to compete with resident tigers. It is natural that many of them are killed by other tigers,” the official added.
Of the 38 tigers found dead due to natural causes in the State this year, 19 were aged between one and two years, he noted, adding that cubs and young tigers accounted for the bulk of natural deaths. Also the fact that a large number of those killed are less than 2-3 years old shows that there is a lot of intraspecific competition as healthy forests are limited and as human dominated landscapes choke out corridors that would otherwise help tigers migrate more freely between habitats, Sen said.
