21 Tiger Death Recorded in 2018, Number of Big Cats Died in Maharashtra Same As of 2017

Two more tigers died in Maharashtra, this time in the Pauni range in Umred-Karhandla-Paoni Wildlife Sanctuary in Nagpur. Near one of the tigers, a half-eaten carcass of a wild pig was found raising suspicion if that was an attempt at poisoning. In 2018, 21 big cats died in Maharashtra, which is similar to 2017's figures.

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), last year 92 tigers in India. Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 23 tigers with Maharashtra ranking second. Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary which is spread across 189.30 sq km area is home to 11 to 15 tigers. The carcass of a seven-year-old dominant male tiger T16 was found in Chicagoan bear, Paoni range in Bhandara district which lies in 70 km from Nagpur. Local tourists spotted the carcass around 8 am and alerted the forest department. Man-eater Tigress Avni, Alleged For 14 Deaths, Killed In Maharashtra's Yavatmal.

Forest officials found another dead tiger on Monday around 10:30 am. Identified as T4 also known as Rai it was found lying a kilometre away from in Cichagaon beat of Paoni range. The seven-year-old tigress who was called the 'Queen of Paoni'; she has given birth to three cubs - Raja, Pawan and Mala. Forest officials confirmed that both tigers had eaten the meat of the wild boar. Odisha: Tiger Mahavir’s Post-Mortem Report Shows He Died of Infection and Multiple Organ Failure.

A committee of experts has been made to determine the cause of death. Ravikiran Govekar, field director, Pench Tiger said, "Forest officials said it was confirmed that both tigers had consumed the meat of the wild boar. “The scene of the crime is just about 100m to 200m from agricultural fields. The local investigation and post-mortem were carried out as per the SOP. Samples were collected to ascertain the cause of death."

There has been a rise in the number of tiger deaths in the last eight years in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. In India, 631 tigers died between 2009 and 2017. Madhya Pradesh saw 80 deaths in the last one and half years. In one horrific such case, a tiger was found dead with its two front paws chopped off. In November, two tiger cubs were crushed to death on railway lines near Lohara forest area in Chandrapur.

In November, tigress Avni that allegedly caused the deaths of 14 people in over two years, was killed in Maharashtra's Yavatmal. Many different reasons have caused the death of tigers in the recent past. Poaching, electrocution, poisoning, rail or road accidents are among most reasons that cause the death of tigers. While animal rights activists and organisations demand better conservation of the national animal, the condition continues to be the same.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 02, 2019 03:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).