Madhya Pradesh: 2 tigers electrocuted in Shahdol; 9 big cat deaths in state since 1 Jan

A tiger and a tigress were found dead due to electrocution in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district on Monday, taking the total number of tiger deaths in the state this year to nine, an official said.

The two carcasses were discovered less than 100 metres apart in agricultural land under the North Shahdol forest division, around 75 km from the district headquarters, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subharanjan Sen told PTI.

“The deaths were caused by electrocution. Wires used in the incident have been recovered. With these two deaths, nine tigers have died in Madhya Pradesh since 1 January this year. Seven of these deaths occurred in January,” Sen said.

Another forest official said such electric traps are often laid illegally by farmers to protect crops from herbivores, but they sometimes result in the electrocution of tigers and other wildlife.

The incident comes days after the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the Centre and the state government on 20 January on a petition filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey.

In his petition, Dubey alleged that 54 tigers died in Madhya Pradesh in 2025, the highest annual mortality recorded since the launch of Project Tiger, and claimed that more than half of these deaths were due to unnatural causes.

Dubey told PTI that the High Court is scheduled to hear the matter again on 11 February. He also said he has written to the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the state chief secretary, alleging administrative negligence in connection with the Shahdol incident.

In his complaint, Dubey sought an overhaul of the state’s wildlife administration and demanded action against senior forest officials, alleging that repeated tiger deaths reflected systemic failures.

Madhya Pradesh is home to the highest number of tigers in the country.

According to data available on the NTCA website, a total of 19 tiger deaths were reported across India between 1 January and 26 January this year. The most recent case was reported on 26 January from the buffer zone of Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.