Twenty-five out of the 75 tigers in the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan went missing over the past year, the state’s chief wildlife warden said, according to PTI.
The official, Pavan Kumar Upadhyay, formed a three-member committee to investigate the disappearances and directed it to submit a report within two months, The Indian Express reported.
The committee has been tasked with reviewing all records of tiger monitoring and recommending disciplinary action against any officials who were found to have neglected their duties, according to PTI.
This is the first time that such a large number of tigers were officially reported missing in a year. Previously, 13 tigers were reported to be missing from Ranthambore between January 2019 and January 2022.
In the order forming the committee, Upadhyay, who is also the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said that details about the missing tigers had surfaced repeatedly from the monitoring assessments conducted in the national park.
“Despite several notices sent to the park’s field director, no significant improvements have been noted,” the order said, according to PTI. “As of a report dated October 14, 2024, 11 tigers have been unaccounted for over a year, with limited recent evidence of another 14.”
It added: “Given the circumstances, an inquiry committee has been set up to investigate the missing tigers in Ranthambore.”
Upadhyay, however, said that the missing tigers did not mean that the animals had been killed or poached, according to The Indian Express.
“It could be that maybe they aren’t being captured in the camera trap,” he said. “If they are not being spotted, then maybe the tigers are in such a spot where they aren’t being spotted, or that they may have migrated to a different spot.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!