Karnataka lost 75 tigers in 5 years; 13 died of unnatural causes, one in accident

BENGALURU: Between April 2020 and Aug 2025, Karnataka lost 75 tigers, nearly two-thirds of which were recorded in Nagarahole (26) and Bandipur (22) together. BRT tiger reserve and MM Hills lost eight and five tigers, respectively.Of the 75 deaths, 62 are due to natural reasons: internal conflict (between tigers), illness and old age. According to forest minister Eshwar Khandre, in the said time period, 13 tigers died unnaturally and cases under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 have been filed against those responsible for the deaths. Reasons for unnatural deaths are: gunshot, trapped in snares, poisoning, electrocution, poaching and accidents.

Only 1 case of tiger death due to accident There's only one case of unnatural death caused by an accident - a male tiger aged 1-2 years died in a road accident caused in the Mysuru jurisdiction.Of the other 12, 50% or six, including the five deaths reported in MM Hills earlier this year, were caused by poisoning. Two tigers - a female aged 12-13 years and a male tiger aged 5-6 years - died after being trapped in snares. The female died on Nov 11, 2022 in Nagarahole, while the male died on Sept 14, 2021 in Bandipur.

Among the five other tigers that died on unnatural causes, one each was electrocuted and shot dead, while two were killed by poachers (method not specified).According to the department, in areas where tiger activity is increasing, traps are being set up to capture and relocate them to suitable habitats. A dashboard called 'Hejje' has been developed by the department to monitor the daily movements of tigers equipped with radio collars.

Information is being communicated wirelessly through the network.In order to support herbivore conservation so as to ensure food availability for tigers, the govt has put in place measures to protect and develop grasslands in forest areas and weeds like lantana and eupatorium, which hinder grass growth, are being removed to allow for the cultivation of grass beneficial to the forest.An advance alert system has been developed to warn and inform the public in case of tiger sightings in villages near the forest. As per Khandre, AI-based cameras have been installed in select areas to monitor tiger movements.Drones are also being used.