MUMBAI: As many as 41 tigers died across the state in 2025, of which 28 perished of natural causes, eight in accidents, four due to electrocution and one from poaching, the state government informed the Assembly on Wednesday. There were 26 deaths registered in 2024.
According to the forest department, 272 tiger deaths were registered in the last 10 years in various forests. Though most of them have had natural deaths, poaching, trapping and poisoning also led to the deaths.
On Wednesday, MLAs from the treasury and opposition benches asked forest minister Ganesh Naik in a letter if the major chunk of 166 tigers that died in the country last year was from Maharashtra. Naik responded saying, to curb wildlife deaths due to train accidents, the chief conservator of forests (regional), Chandrapur, had written to the Railways recommending key measures. This was done in the backdrop of five deaths on railway tracks in the Balharshah-Gondia railway line between 2011 and 2025.
The forest minister stated that construction of underpasses and overpasses along new railway routes through forest areas to facilitate safe wildlife crossings, proper disposal systems for food waste thrown from trains on the tracks and limiting train speeds to 40 kmph in sensitive forest zones are some of the measures recommended to railway authorities.
He added, recently a tigress was found dead in the canal of the Podhara River at Pochara in the Seloo-Murpada area of Wardha forest division. A forest offence was registered on December 31, 2025, and an investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of death.
“Improved habitat conservation efforts have contributed to a rise in the tiger population. Increasing wildlife numbers have also led to greater animal movement in search of territory, raising the risk of human-wildlife conflict. To strengthen protection, Special Tiger Protection Force teams conduct regular patrols in highly sensitive areas, supported by dog squads, to check acts of poaching. Field staff have been equipped with M-Stripes-enabled mobile devices to monitor and record suspicious movements,” Naik replied.
The department, in coordination with the state electricity distribution company, is also working to prevent electrocution-related wildlife deaths through field-level monitoring. Authorities have further intensified surveillance by installing camera traps, setting up check posts, activating wireless networks in vulnerable zones and strengthening the Wildlife Crime Cell in Nagpur. A cyber cell at Melghat Tiger Reserve is also assisting in tracking down poaching suspects, the government stated in its response.