Two tigers, a male and a tigress, were found dead on Monday in the forests of Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district, prompting a forest department investigation in India’s top tiger habitat.
The carcasses were discovered in the North Shahdol forest area, where preliminary findings suggest two different causes of death — a territorial clash and electrocution.
“A team has rushed to the spot, and investigations have begun. As per the initial report, one tiger seems to have been killed in a territorial fight, while the other died due to electrocution,” Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) L Krishnamoorthy told PTI.
Officials said the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the probe is completed.
Madhya Pradesh, often dubbed India’s tiger state, is home to the highest population of the big cats in the country, making wildlife deaths in the region closely monitored by conservation authorities.
On January 20, the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the Centre and the state government over the rise in tiger deaths in the state.
The court was hearing a petition filed by wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, which claimed that 54 tigers died in the state in 2025, the highest annual mortality since the inception of Project Tiger, with more than half of the deaths attributed to unnatural causes.
