NAGPUR: In a worrying trend, accidents, poaching, and electrocution accounted for a significant number of 142 tiger and 537 leopard deaths reported in Maharashtra from Jan 2022 to Sept 2025. The big cat fatality data was provided by the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Nagpur, in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query.The report states that 35 tigers and 115 leopards have died in Maharashtra this year till Sept. In comparison, 26 tiger deaths were reported in 2024, 52 in 2023, and 29 in 2022. Among this year’s tiger deaths, 21 were due to natural causes, five from accidents, another five linked to electrocution and poaching, and four due to unspecified reasons.Of the 142 tiger fatalities reported since 2022, natural deaths accounted for 84 cases, while 23 were killed in accidents and 29 fell to poaching. In six cases, the cause of death remained unclear. Experts say poachers commonly use electrocution and traps in forest fringes.“Poachers target big cats mainly for their body parts and claws, which have high value in the black market. They are also killed to prevent attacks on livestock,” said a wildlife crime analyst. Leopard deaths, which stood at 115 so far in 2025, included 44 from natural causes, 42 from accidents, two from hunting, three from electrocution, and 21 from other causes. In the past, the state had recorded 144 leopard deaths in 2024, 138 in 2023, and 140 in 2022.The data was issued in response to a RTI filed by Abhay Kolarkar.The data confirms that Maharashtra’s tiger population stands at 444, as per ‘Status of Tigers in India 2022’ report published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Officials said most natural deaths are linked to intra-species conflicts, old age, and diseases, while accidental deaths involve vehicle hits and electrocution near forest fringes. Experts also attributed the high accident rate to highways and railway lines passing through wildlife corridors.
