- Eight tiger deaths reported in Madhya Pradesh from November 2025 to February 2026
- Three deaths were due to electrocution, including one likely due to solar-powered fencing
- Madhya Pradesh High Court is monitoring the case and has demanded detailed reports
Eight tiger deaths were reported in Madhya Pradesh, three by electrocution, including the latest of a tigress allegedly by continuous electric current from solar-powered fencing.
The tigress' death, allegedly after her mouth got trapped in solar fencing, would be the first such fatality due to such infrastructure, if confirmed.
In official communication accessed by NDTV, it has emerged that between November 2025 and February 24, 2026, a total of eight tiger deaths were officially recorded in and around Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Four deaths occurred inside the reserve, while four took place outside its notified boundary in territorial forest divisions. The forest department maintains that the four deaths inside the reserve were due to natural causes such as disease, territorial fights, and drowning.
The shock lies outside the reserve limits, where three of the four deaths were caused by electrocution. The official status report submitted before the High Court confirms that these electrocution cases involved illegal live wires in agricultural fields and entanglement in solar-powered electric fencing .
The alleged death related to the solar fencing is under detailed investigation, Chief Conservator of Forests (Shahdol Circle) Mahendra Pratap Singh said. "I am not aware of any such previous incident involving solar fencing. It is possible that there was a technical fault. The auto-cut system is built-in perhaps it did not function in time," he added.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court is monitoring the case, while the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF) Vijay Ambade has issued urgent directives. A Special Task Force (STF) police has also formally written to the Forest Department seeking detailed information on tiger death-related crimes.
The matter took a legal turn when senior advocate Aditya Sanghi flagged before the High Court that tiger deaths were continuing even after previous hearings. On February 11, the court had directed the Field Director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to file a detailed status report explaining the causes of death and steps taken in cases involving human intervention.
In his petition before the High Court, wildlife activist Ajay Dubey presented broader data that has intensified the debate. He claimed that tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh have been steadily rising - 2022: 43 tiger deaths, 2023: 45 tiger deaths, 2024: 46 tiger deaths, 2025: 54 tiger deaths, the highest since Project Tiger began in 1973. In 2026 so far, 10 tiger deaths have been reported. Dubey argued that the rising mortality trend indicates systemic issues in conservation and monitoring.
Following the court's intervention, the HoFF office issued a fresh communication on February 25, directing that the SIT report into all tiger and leopard deaths in the past two months be submitted mandatorily by February 26 as the matter is under judicial scrutiny.
In a letter dated February 12, the Special Task Force (STF), Madhya Pradesh, wrote to the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), seeking detailed information regarding offences connected to tiger deaths. The STF letter reveals alarming statistics - 2023: 2 tiger deaths due to poaching, 2024: 2 tiger deaths due to poaching, 2025: 1 tiger death due to poaching, and 2025: 3 cases related to trafficking of tiger body parts.
The communication seeks complete case details, action taken, and the current status of investigations. The involvement of the STF signals that authorities are examining whether tiger deaths are not merely accidental or ecological but criminal.
Dubey said such an incident has never occurred in India. "Even if a 300-kilogram tiger chews through DC solar fencing, nothing should happen. If the fencing caused continuous electrocution, it raises serious safety concerns," he said. He further argued that if solar fencing is unsafe for wildlife, it could pose a danger to humans as well. "This response in the Madhya Pradesh High Court will definitely deal a blow to the government's solar energy promotion campaign," he added.
The forest department has strongly denied allegations of negligence. It has highlighted massive patrolling efforts over 67,000 km of total patrol in November 2025 alone, followed by tens of thousands of kilometres in December and January along with electric line inspections, liaison with electricity companies, and action against offenders. It insists there is no evidence of poaching inside the reserve and that all electrocution cases occurred outside the notified boundary.
