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NEW DELHI: A tiger cub was found dead in Kanha Tiger Reserve, while the carcass of an adult tiger was recovered from Balaghat district, pushing the number of tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh to 23 since January this year, officials told PTI.According to officials, the cub, aged between one and one-and-a-half years, was discovered on Thursday evening in the Sargi area of the core zone of the reserve, which spans Mandla and Balaghat districts. “The post-mortem of the cub was conducted on Friday, and we are awaiting its report (to know the exact cause of death),” said deputy director Amita B.She added that prima facie the cub may have died of starvation, as it was not fed by its mother. Another cub of the same tigress had died three days earlier. “The tigress delivered four cubs, of which two have died. We are closely monitoring the tigress and the remaining two cubs,” she said.In a separate incident, a full-grown tiger was found dead in the north forest division of Balaghat.The state, which had 785 tigers as per the 2022 census, the highest in the country, has reported nine deaths since April 2, when a tiger was found dead in a forested area of Burhanpur. Data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority showed that the state had recorded 21 tiger deaths till April 21 this year. The first death of 2026 was reported on January 7 in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey told PTI, “Madhya Pradesh ranks first in tiger deaths, including unnatural deaths, which is worrying,” and flagged gaps in monitoring and patrolling.
