Mumbai: Maharashtra Forest Minister Ganesh Naik on Friday informed the Legislative Assembly that 22 tigers, 40 leopards, and 61 other wild animals died in the State between January and April 2025. The total number of tiger deaths since 2022 clocking 129, he said adding that hunting was one of the reasons for the declining numbers of these endangered and vulnerable animals.
Naik presented detailed data on wildlife deaths since the beginning of the year while responding to questions raised by MLAs. Of the 22 tigers that died this year, 13 succumbed to natural causes, four died from electric shocks, another four due to road, railway, and well accidents, while one tiger’s death remains unexplained.
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Between January and April, the State recorded the deaths of 40 leopards. Naik said that eight of them died due to natural causes, 20 due to accidents involving roads, railways, and wells, three were victims of poaching, and the cause of death for the remaining nine is still unknown.
In addition, 61 other wild animals died during the same period. Among them, 23 died naturally, four due to electric shock, four were poached, and 24 died from stray dog attacks or well accidents. The cause of death for the six animals remains unknown. Naik also confirmed that 21 people were killed in wild animal attacks during the same period.
The minister shared cumulative data, saying that 107 tigers died in Maharashtra between January 2022 and December 2024. During that three-year period, the total number of wild animal deaths in the state stood at 707.
Naik said that the government is taking measures to protect tigers, leopards, and other wildlife. “Measures are planned in the district-level tiger committee meeting. To prevent the death of tigers and other wild animals due to electric current, action is being taken,” he said.
Legislators such as Dhananjay Munde, Santosh Danve, Manoj Jamsutkar and Sudhir Mungantiwar raised the matter.
According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), India recorded 14 tiger deaths in the first 20 days of January this year, with Maharashtra alone accounting for the highest toll — eight fatalities. Most of these deaths occurred outside protected areas, attributed to poaching, accidents and infectious diseases, officials from the state forest department said.
At the same time, the recent Status of Tigers in India report by NTCA said there was an increase in Maharashtra’s tiger population and sightings in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. However, a spike in deaths has posed a challenge for the forest department, which must ensure tiger safety beyond protected zones, it stated.
