Unprotected Terrain: Tiger Deaths Soar Outside Indian Reserves

Over half of the tiger deaths in India from 2021 to 2025 happened outside protected reserves, with Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reporting the highest numbers. The government is planning a new initiative, the Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) project, to combat the rising human-tiger conflict in these areas.

Devdiscourse News Desk | New Delhi | Updated: 29-07-2025 15:23 IST | Created: 29-07-2025 15:23 IST

Unprotected Terrain: Tiger Deaths Soar Outside Indian Reserves — This image is AI-generated and does not depict any real-life event or location. It is a fictional representation created for illustrative purposes only.

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Government data reveals a concerning trend: more than half of India's tiger deaths between 2021 and 2025 occurred outside protected reserves. This issue is most acute in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, which registered the highest numbers of casualties.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) reported a total of 667 tiger deaths, with 341, or 51 percent, happening outside designated reserves. As of 2025, tiger fatalities reached 129 in 2021, 122 in 2022, 182 in 2023, 126 in 2024, and 108 so far this year.

To tackle the growing human-tiger conflict, the government plans the Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) project. This initiative will span 80 forest divisions in 17 states, aimed at safeguarding the 30 percent of India's estimated 3,682 tigers that reside outside official reserves.

(With inputs from agencies.)