Maharashtra’s forests are facing a grave crisis. In just four years — from January 2022 to September 2025 — the state has lost 142 tigers and 537 leopards, according to shocking data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Nagpur.
The data paints a worrying picture of India’s wildlife heritage under threat, with poaching, electrocution, and road accidents emerging as major killers of the state’s big cats.
Rising Toll in 2025 Alone
This year alone, 35 tigers and 115 leopards have died in Maharashtra till September. Of the tiger deaths, 21 were natural, while five were due to accidents, five to poaching and electrocution, and four under unclear circumstances.
For leopards, 44 deaths were natural, 42 resulted from accidents, two from hunting, and three from electrocution.
The pattern suggests that even as natural causes take a toll, human-linked fatalities are fast catching up, threatening long-term survival.
Four-Year Breakdown
According to the RTI:
2022: 29 tiger deaths, 140 leopards
2023: 52 tiger deaths, 138 leopards
2024: 26 tiger deaths, 144 leopards
2025 (till Sept): 35 tiger deaths, 115 leopards
In total, 142 tigers have perished since 2022, with 84 dying naturally, 23 in accidents, 29 due to poaching, and 6 unclassified cases. Experts warn that poachers often use electric traps and snares, especially along forest fringes.
“Poachers target tigers and leopards mainly for their claws, skin, and bones — items that fetch a high price in the international black market,” said a wildlife crime analyst. “Some are also killed by villagers trying to protect livestock.”
Habitat Fragmentation and Infrastructure Threat
Wildlife experts also blame expanding infrastructure for escalating deaths. Highways and railway lines cutting through wildlife corridors have become silent killers, often leading to fatal collisions with big cats moving across their natural range.
Forest officials, meanwhile, attribute some natural deaths to intra-species conflicts, diseases, and old age.
Maharashtra’s Current Tiger Population
Despite these losses, Maharashtra still holds a significant tiger population of 444, as per the Status of Tigers in India 2022 report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). But conservationists warn that the continued decline could erode this strength unless stringent anti-poaching measures and corridor protections are enforced.
A Wake-Up Call for Conservation
The RTI findings come as a wake-up call for authorities and citizens alike. With India being home to nearly 75% of the world’s wild tigers, every loss dents the nation’s conservation record.
Environmentalists are now urging the government to strengthen real-time monitoring, patrolling, and awareness programmes in high-risk forest zones.
“This is not just about losing tigers or leopards,” said a conservation volunteer from Nagpur. “It’s about losing balance in our ecosystem. Every big cat lost is a warning that our forests are becoming unsafe — for wildlife and humans alike.”
