Heavy Rains Increase Risk For Ranthambore Tigers As 13 Remain Missing

Heavy monsoon has disrupted operations at Ranthambore National Park, home to over 70 tigers, and raised fears for the safety of its tiger population. 

While monsoon is the breeding season for animals, the continuous downpour has led to the closure of safari routes and made it hard for rangers to carry out patrolling inside the park, adding to the problem of 13 tigers going missing from Ranthambore and Sariska over the last year. 

According to a 2024 report by the Forest Department, around 25 tigers were missing from across the two reserves over the last year - 11 from Ranthambore and two from Sariska. 

After the issue gained public attention, the Forest Department deployed additional camera traps that were able to locate 12 of the missing tigers. However, the remaining 13, including Ranthambore's tigers T-92, T-20, T-70, T-71, T-76, and Sariska's ST-13 and Tigress 2401 from the Akbarpur range, remain untraced, and even after a year, the committee formed to find them has not shared any updates.

Wildlife officials suggest that the big cats may have sought refuge in caves or higher ground.

Forest Minister Sanjay Sharma said some tigers might have moved to Madhya Pradesh, near Kuno National Park, as tigers often travel far and change territories. He also said many missing tigers are old, with a lifespan of 15 to 18 years, so some of them may have died naturally. 

However, flooded routes and dense forest cover make patrolling and tracking difficult. Techniques like pugmark tracking and camera trapping, used to monitor tigers, are less effective in these conditions. 

In Sariska, search operations for ST-13, a tiger who's been missing for three years, have been unsuccessful despite increased surveillance and the forest department conducting search operations at various locations. 

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, 20 tourists were stranded inside the Ranthambore National Park after their safari vehicle broke down mid-route and the accompanying guide left them to fetch another vehicle. 

The incident took place on Saturday evening in Zone 6 of the park, and the matter came to light after purported videos of the incident surfaced, prompting the park administration to take action.