The country lost 64 of its tigers in 2014. According to statistics provided by Tigernet, the official database of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the highest number of 15 tiger deaths was reported from the forests of Tamil Nadu, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 14.
Six of the deaths reported from Tamil Nadu were from the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. A good majority of the tiger deaths during the year were caused by poaching. The data provided does not give a clear figure on the number of tigers killed by poachers but it is estimated that about 50 tigers could have been killed in this manner.
Out of the 64 deaths, only one death was due to natural causes and that was from the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar. Fighting between tigers possibly for territory control caused three deaths. Two tigers suspected to be man eaters were shot dead by police personnel
One was near Ooty on January 23 and the other near Chandrapur in Maharashtra on July 19. In the Valmiki Tiger Reserve, one cub was also found dead. Wild tiger deaths were also reported from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. During the first six months of the year, 32 deaths were reported.
The highest number of 10 tiger deaths took place in December. Tiger deaths had taken place during all months of the year. The first tiger death of the year was reported from Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra on January 10 and the last death from Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka on December 29.
During the year, 12 cases of seizure of tiger body parts were registered. This included seizure of seven tiger skins. While three tiger skins were seized from Maharashtra, two were seized from Andra Pradesh and one each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
In 2013, the number of tigers lost was 63 and the highest number of 16 deaths was reported from the forests of Karnataka, followed by Maharashtra with 9. In 2014, Karnataka accounted for six tiger deaths. In 2013 only one tiger death was reported from Tamil Nadu.
