Big cat, big loss: In 4 years, Maharashtra has lost 142 tigers, 537 leopards, reveals RTI query

NAGPUR: In a worrying trend, accidents, poaching, and electrocution accounted for a significant number of 142 tiger and 537 leopard deaths reported in Maharashtra from Jan 2022 to Sept 2025. The big cat fatality data was provided by the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Nagpur, in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query.The report states that 35 tigers and 115 leopards have died in Maharashtra this year till Sept. In comparison, 26 tiger deaths were reported in 2024, 52 in 2023, and 29 in 2022. Among this year’s tiger deaths, 21 were due to natural causes, five from accidents, another five linked to electrocution and poaching, and four due to unspecified reasons.Of the 142 tiger fatalities reported since 2022, natural deaths accounted for 84 cases, while 23 were killed in accidents and 29 fell to poaching. In six cases, the cause of death remained unclear. Experts say poachers commonly use electrocution and traps in forest fringes.“Poachers target big cats mainly for their body parts and claws, which have high value in the black market. They are also killed to prevent attacks on livestock,” said a wildlife crime analyst.

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Source: The Times of India

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