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Bhopal: A tiger and a tigress died of electrocution in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district on Monday, taking the death toll of big cats in the state this year to nine, an official said.
The two carcasses were found less than 100 metres apart in agricultural land in North Shahdol forest division, some 75 kilometres from the district headquarters, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subharanjan Sen told PTI.
"The tigers died due to electrocution. Wires used in the incident have been recovered. With these two deaths, nine tigers have died in Madhya Pradesh since January 1 this year. Seven of these deaths took place in January," Sen said.
Another official said such electric traps are laid by farmers to protect crops from herbivores but they often end up electrocuting tigers.
The deaths come just days after the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the Centre and the state government on January 20 on a petition filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey.
In his petition, Dubey claimed 54 tigers died in the state in 2025, the highest annual mortality recorded since the inception of Project Tiger, with over half of the deaths attributed to unnatural causes.
Dubey told PTI the High Court is scheduled to hear the matter again on February 11. He also said he has written to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the state chief secretary alleging administrative negligence in the Shahdol incident.
Dubey said he has sought an overhaul of the wildlife administration.
In his complaint, Dubey alleged the deaths reflected a systemic failure and sought action against senior forest officials.
Madhya Pradesh is home to the highest number of tigers in the country.
As per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) website, a total of 19 tigers have died in the country between January 1 and 26 this year. As per the website, the last reported case, on January 26, took place in the buffer zone of Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.