New Delhi: According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), 145 tigers have died in India in the first nine months of 2023, a record if you consider the past three years. Ten years ago, in 2013, a record low number of deaths, 68 was recorded.But in 2022, 116 tigers died, 127 in 2021, and 106 in 2020. Madhya Pradesh has the dubious record of the highest tiger deaths. Maharashtra and Uttarakhand are at number 2 and 3 respectively. India has two-thirds of the global wild tiger population. According to the most recent Tiger Census, India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022, up from 2,967 in 2018. Madhya Pradesh emerged as the state with the highest number of tigers in the country then, at 785 tigers. Karnataka was the second largest home with 563, Uttarakhand has 560 and Maharashtra 444.The homepage of the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s website.India has 53 tiger reserves, covering 2.3% of India’s total land area according to government data. Concerns around them have found their way in government reports. In a response to supplementary questions in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav had said in February, 2022 that there are many reasons for the death of tigers, like old age, infighting among tigers, electrocution and poaching.Mid-day cites co-founder of the wildlife group CLaW and conservation photographer, Sarosh Lodhi as saying, “Deforestation, linear development projects, may not have direct impact but are resulting in reduced space for tigers translating into more infighting and hence fatalities. These are treated as natural deaths in the records but may have all the unnatural reasons behind the mortality. Poaching, electrocution, conflicts are also increasing menaces that have the potential to impact tiger population in India. More than 20% increase in tiger mortality figure is a definite cause of concern and should be addressed immediately.”Wildlife Conservationist and Director of Bombay Natural History Society, Kishor Rithe is cited by the newspaper as saying, “The figures are certainly high but the reasons are obvious. The tiger reserve buffer and the corridors are facing huge challenges from infrastructure projects and they are mostly unaddressed. These figures may not have deaths by only poaching. It will be proportionate to increase the tiger population in three Indian landscapes – Southern (Karnataka), Central and Tarai.”Beyond TigersThe state of big cats and other wildlife is seen as a barometer of the ecology and is a broader indicator of the environment in India and therefore of interest even beyond preservation of their lives for their own sake.The state of cheetahs, relocated and introduced to coincide with PM Modi’s birthday last year in Kuno in Madhya Pradesh have occupied most attention. Eight of the cheetahs, including three cubs born in India, have died, of the 20 got from Namibia and South Africa.