Madhya Pradesh appoints new top wildlife official

Sen, too, said there was no link. “The enquiry committee for tiger deaths in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and adjacent areas was set up by me suo motu as CWLW (chief wildlife warden). All the actions taken in line with the recommendations of the report have been undertaken in the periods I have held charge of the CWLW. I would like to point out that the period in question that involves a ‘large number of tiger deaths’ in Bandhavgarh does not involve my tenure as CWLW. The period in question is 2021 to 2023. I took charge of CWLW in February 2024.”

As reported by The Indian Express on August 6, a Special Investigation Team looking into the deaths of 43 tigers between 2021 and 2023 in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (34 deaths) and Shahdol Forest Circle (9 deaths) had raised red flags such as insufficient investigation into possible poaching cases, lapses during postmortem, and medical negligence leading to deaths.

Following the report, the NTCA had sought a response from the Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Department. Sen responded that some officials were “negligent in their duties and show a lack of interest in tiger conservation”. He also wrote that in “some cases, it was found that the NTCA Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and the guidelines issued by the Wildlife Headquarters were not fully adhered to following the death incidents of the tigers”.

Ambade, who earlier served as the Deputy Director General of Forests, Nagpur, will have his hands full as he would oversee the establishment of the NTCA protocols across the state to check tiger deaths and also prepare Gandhi Sagar wildlife sanctuary to welcome the next batch of cheetahs that are expected to arrive in the state later this year.

Ambade’s journey in the Indian Forest Service (IFS) began in 1988.

Hailing from the district of Nagpur, Ambade early years in the service saw him posted as an Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Probationer in Chhindwara from August 1990 to May 1991.

From 1991 to 1993, he served as the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) in Gariband and East Raipur, and then as Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Sarguja (1993-1994). He worked in Madhav National Park, Shivpuri, as DFO from 1994 to 1996.

Ambade served as an instructor at the Ranger College in Balaghat from 1996 to 1997, and later as Deputy Director of Indravati National Park in Jagdalpur (1997-1998). He held numerous key positions in forest divisions and wildlife sanctuaries, where he managed both conservation efforts and administrative responsibilities. He was promoted to Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and other postings in Bhopal and Jabalpur.

In 2007, Ambade became Conservator of Forests (Research & Extension) in Seoni, a role that involved overseeing research initiatives and the dissemination of forestry practices. He continued to climb the ranks, eventually serving in senior roles such as Chief Conservator of Forests (Project) in Bhopal, and in administrative positions at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Government of India.

In 2019, Ambade was made the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) and Deputy Director General of Forests (Central) at the Regional Office in Nagpur.