36th tiger dies in Madhya Pradesh this year, putting the heat on forest staff

On August 20, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and Head of the Forest Force, V N Ambade, issued a stern warning to forest officials, The Indian Express has learnt.

In a letter sent to field directors of tiger reserves and senior forest officers, Ambade noted that in the past 20–25 days alone, 5–6 tigers and leopards had died.

‘Highest priority’

Ambade criticised the ineffective use of monitoring tools, such as M-Strips and monsoon patrolling, stressing that repeated deaths despite these mechanisms showed serious negligence. “It is clear that in the recent tiger deaths in Pench and Satpura, local officers and staff displayed grave carelessness,” he wrote, warning that strict action would follow.

Calling tiger and leopard protection the “highest priority” of the state forest department, the PCCF made it clear that no form of negligence would be tolerated. He directed officials to ensure that such incidents do not recur and demanded greater accountability.

Specifically mentioning Pench and Satpura Tiger Reserves, Ambade pointed out that information about tiger deaths in the buffer areas was reaching the department belatedly, sometimes from village residents before the forest staff themselves are aware. He wrote that this “suggests shortcomings in monitoring through M-Strips, Monsoon Patrolling, etc”.

“It is not appropriate that tiger deaths occur repeatedly despite such monitoring systems being in place,” the letter read.

Territorial fights have been blamed for tiger deaths in Pench and Satpura Tiger Reserves.

“When a tiger dies in a territorial fight, the nearby village comes to know immediately, while the Forest Department learns about it much later. Such situations, where information about a tiger death comes from the local community instead of the security system, indicate that the security system is not fully effective,” Ambade wrote.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey had recently sent notices to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the wildlife department over the death and secret burning of a tiger in Balaghat, which prompted the wildlife department to issue stern warnings. “The spot where the tigers died in Satpura was the same one where tigers were beheaded in 2023. I am filing a petition in the High Court over the lack of patrolling and the spate of deaths,” he said.

Field director Nanda said wildlife officials were facing difficulties during the monsoon. “There is an issue of accessibility, so we are depending on increasing our foot patrolling. We are doing our best to protect the tigers.”