Tigers: Unnatural deaths of tigers, elephants in Karnataka raise concern for govt | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: Karnataka, which has been praised for its best conservation efforts and healthy wildlife population, is worried about the deaths of tigers and elephants due to unnatural and unknown reasons in protected areas. The state has lost 66 tigers and 372 elephants in the last five years (2020-24). While some of these deaths were natural, a significant number were unnatural or the reason was difficult to ascertain. “While 48 (72%) tigers died of natural causes, seven (10%) died unnaturally. In the case of another 11 tigers (16%), we could not ascertain the cause of death,” a senior forest official said. Karnataka ranks second in tiger population with 563 tigers spread across its five tiger reserves and other areas. Similarly, the state has reported as many as 372 elephant deaths in the last five years. “As many as 305 (82%) elephants died naturally and 67 (18%) died unnaturally,” the officer explained. In several cases of unnatural deaths and where the cause of death could not be determined, staff could not find the carcasses for weeks, leading to difficulties in ascertaining the cause of death. Subhash Malkhede, principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden of Karnataka, attributed the delay largely to the inhospitable terrain. “In some cases, the animals would have retreated in the face of death and retreated to remote areas. In the monsoon months, it is very difficult to even detect the odour of the carcass. Even if staff were to smell the bodies, they would not be able to reach the area due to the dense growth of lantana and other weeds. However, staff in the field have been trying their best to track and document the deaths,” he said. While snaring and poisoning are the major reasons for unnatural deaths of tigers, electrocution is the biggest threat to elephants. “Almost all unnatural deaths of elephants were largely due to electrocution when they tried to sneak into human settlements in search of food and water. We have been sensitizing farmers and residents of peripheral areas about these preventable deaths,” another senior forest official said.

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