Madhya Pradesh, which reclaimed the Tiger State tag by reporting 526 of the big cats in the 2018 census, continued to record high tiger mortalities in 2021 with 43 deaths, including 19 outside the protected areas (PAs), 21 inside tiger reserves, and three seizures of body parts.In the same period, Karnataka, which had followed closely with 524 tigers in the 2018 count, lost only 15, almost a third of the mortalities reported by MP.ALSO READ | Randeep Hooda Shares His ‘First Tiger Hunt’ Experience, Watch VideoMadhya Pradesh ended the year with a bigger disappointing note as the state lost two tigers in the past week in Dindori and Chhindwara in general administered forest areas. Electrocution and poisoning are emerging as the reasons behind the demise of the big cats in these cases. Last year, the state had lost 26 tigers, while in 2019 death count stood at 28, according to the figures compiled by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).Counting deathsTo a question asked in the MP assembly in the recent winter session, forest minister Vijay Shah said that the state lost a total of 30 tigers in 2020, including 21 that died inside PAs and 11 outside. Two poaching incidents were reported inside tiger reserves and seven outside these protected territories. The reply said that the state lost a total of 41 tigers including 25 incidents of mortalities inside PAs and 16 outside with a total of 11 poaching incidents in the year until December 7.Adding the deaths at Dindori and Chhindwara, the state’s aggregate tiger mortality goes up to 41 by December 29, 2021.The reply also said that since 2018, a total of 11 tigers were poached, two died of poisoning, six due to electrocution and 50 in infighting. The reply affirmed the presence of around 323 of these felines inside tiger reserves, adding that the inputs were taken from the 2018 census carried out by the Government of India. Bandhavgarh had the maximum 104 tigers, followed by Kanha with 88 and Pench tiger reserve with 61.The forest minister had an interesting reply on fixing responsibility of officers in tiger deaths: none of the officers was found guilty of slackness, so there is no question of any action against anyone.Responding to a question on the deaths of 38 tigers in MP, the minister had laughed off the query, saying tigers normally live up to 11-12 years and as the state has 526 of them, deaths of up to 40-45 is not a grave concern. He maintained that the tiger count had surged in the state and there may be around 650 of them in MP.Portraying another dismal figure of the diminishing tiger count in MP, the forest minister to another question in the assembly had said that the state lost a total 85 tigers in the past four years. The toll includes 32 cubs that perished in the same period.The NTCA figures show that the state lost 202 tigers between 2012 and 2020.The minister’s statement was criticised widely but a senior officer also voiced similar views with logic.The gapsRetired IFS officer and the man who revived the tiger population in Panna after a complete wipeout a decade ago, RS Murthy, told News18 that 10% is the average death rate among tigers. As the numbers have surged, the mortalities are also bound to go up, he argued, adding that as there are poaching incidents as well, stress should be on beefing up security for the big cats. Persistent efforts of 25-30 years in conservation have shown results in terms of the tiger population, he added.On being asked about tigers venturing out of PAs and getting killed, Murthy said these felines naturally roam around in search of new territories and for ensuring their safety outside PAs regular meetings with divisional forest officers are required to sensitise locals to reduce man-animal conflicts.A lot of tigers are falling prey to electrified wire traps normally laid by local hunters to catch wild boars and other animals. Some of them are also going down to poisoning, say field volunteers. Tigers often also inadvertently get in contact with electricity power fencing, which the farmers erect to keep wild animals away from crops. The NTCA had in the past proposed a solar fencing project to minimise the damage to tigers but it has not made much progress.Gauging realityA senior wildlife activist who has been working for years in Madhya Pradesh told News18 on condition of anonymity that once the tiger population surges, mortalities are bound to rise, but also pointed out that patrolling is not up to the mark from the forest department. Asked whether the department has the required professional approach, the activist said that mostly the training and briefings are limited to PowerPoint presentations that have little importance for field conservation efforts.On the development of natural corridors for ensuring hassle-free movement of big cats, the volunteer said that wild animals have their own corridors and humans only need to not hinder them. Referring to man-animal conflicts, the activist explained that villagers living on forest fringes want tiger reserves to be fenced, which is an impractical and illogical idea, as it’s the villages that need fencing.“This makes the department clueless as to under which head of the budget should be spent on this and also the project might slip to the department of revenue which concerns decision-makers due to the vested interests in such ventures,” added the volunteer, saying improvements aren’t in sight and the situation of wildlife conservation is deteriorating. Insufficient monitoring of tigers was also exposed on occasions.Two radio-collared tigers have also died due to electrocution in the Panna reserve’s buffer zone that alarmed volunteers as these big cats are considered monitored animals and poachers stay away from them. A total of three tigers were radio-collared as part of a project of PTR and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to study feline behaviour, natural corridors and other aspects of the big cat community.In the same month of November, burnt skin, hairs and collar ID (tracking system) of the tigress, identified as T-30, were found near Banjari village (outside the reserve area) in the Sarai western range of the forest in the Singrauli district.Offering insightful details of tigers moving out of PAs and coming in conflict with humans, more frequently, senior journalist and wildlife expert Lalit Shastri said a lot of officers who served in the wildlife wing of the MP forest department affirmed that the original prey base of tigers is cattle. Earlier the forest dwellers lived within protected areas and once they were forced out, tigers too followed them to hunt and kill. This has led to humans and animals crossing each other’s paths quite frequently, he added.In the general administered forests, unhindered exploitation is making things ugly in the form of illegal stone mining and sand quarries, operations that have no limitations. Besides, reckless collection of forest minor produce is also denting these areas, Shastri added, saying that for collecting things like tendu patta, saal seeds and mahua, the locals clear the forest surface by burning a specific area that makes collection much easier. On the poaching menace, he said that Pardis, the traditional hunters, have remained a threat to wildlife in MP but the state government hardly made efforts to offer them education or alternative livelihood over the years. Organised poaching may not be operational in the state but they can for sure seek help from local aids.He added that the Forest Rights Act is widely misused and largely the forest management practices laid down for field directors of tiger reserves are seldom followed.The tiger population has flourished outside protected areas in the past few years. General administered forest areas too are emerging as fresh tiger habitats in several parts of the state.Alok Kumar, chief wildlife warden of MP, did not respond to messages and calls on the tiger conservation status in the state and high mortalities this year.Big blowAccording to a report from the Wildlife Protection Society of India, there has been a 48% jump in tiger mortalities in the country as compared to the year 2020 when 111 deaths were recorded. By Tuesday, the country had reported 164 tiger deaths including the one that died at Pench (Maharashtra) this year. Calling it a blow to the tiger population as the count is not expected to rise in the same proportion, Nitin Desai, the Central India Director of WPSI said that they are yet to analyse state-wise data, adding that they have compiled the data from independent sources.ALSO READ | Madhya Pradesh: Gritty Tribal Woman Fights off Leopard, Snatches Her Son from Its ClawsThough MP has reported higher mortality in the year 2021, the forest minister in the winter session informed the assembly about extensive conservation efforts including all-weather patrolling on foot, elephants and vehicles. Retired servicemen are also engaged in the task throughout the year. Suspicious persons are monitored and electricity lines are inspected jointly with electricity officers for detecting electrified wire traps. A network of informers is also ready and tiger cells meet at the district level. Sniffer dogs are roped in for patrolling, which is also monitored by M- STrIPES protocol. The government is offering a priority to linking natural forest corridors among saturated wildlife areas to bolster tiger conservation, listed the forest department among a battery of measures.Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.