Lok Sabha Question No. 2556 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-01
Subject: Tiger Deaths
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: KANWAR SINGH TANWAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2556

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2017

## Tiger Deaths

## 2556.  SHRI KANWAR SINGH TANWAR:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  total  number  of  tiger  deaths  reported  in  the  country  during  each  of  the  last  three  years, State-wise;
- (b) the reasons for continuous increase in the number of tiger deaths during the last several years; and
- (c) the details of preventive steps taken/being taken by the Government to stop rampant poaching of tigers in the country for their skin and bones?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) The total number of tiger deaths in the country, as reported by States, during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise is at Annexure-I .
- (b) Analysis  of  tiger  mortalities  taken  place  in  the  country  during  the  last  three  years  due  to poaching excluding seizures, shows that the average number of tiger deaths due to confirmed poaching is 9 and the confirmed poaching cases in 2016 is 12.  While in the year 2014 and 2015, 10 and 12 seizures were made respectively, the number of seizures in 2016 were 22. Owing  to  high  detection  rate  as  a  result  of  better  enforcement  and  effective  co-ordination amongst different enforcement agencies of Government of India and field formations under the  State  Government,  an  increase  was  noticed  in  2016.    Besides,  increased  dispersal  from source areas to surrounding landscapes due to increased number of tigers is also one of the reasons.
- (c) Several anti-poaching / protection measures have been taken, inter alia , including creation of online tiger / wildlife crime tracking / reporting system in tiger reserves.  The Wildlife Crime Control  Bureau  coordinates  it's  activities  with  the  INTERPOL,  under  various  international Conventions and protocols for checking trans-border trade of wildlife products.  The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) also coordinates with other tiger range countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Russia for sharing information on tiger skin seizures, to ascertain  their  source  and  ensure  conviction  of  criminals.    Further,  the  NTCA  provides assistance  to  States  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  Project  Tiger  for  protection, infrastructure development, intelligence gathering, creation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), e-surveillance project in some of the identified tiger reserves, besides issuing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).

ANNEXURE-I

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2556 ON TIGER DEATHS DUE FOR REPLY ON 01.08.2017

## Tiger deaths in the country, as reported by States, during each of the last three years and the current year, State-wise

|                   |                   | 2014                 | 2014                       | 2014                   | 2015                 | 2015                       | 2015                   | 2016                 | 2016                       | 2016                   | 2017 (25.7.2017)     | 2017 (25.7.2017)           | 2017 (25.7.2017)       |
|-------------------|-------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|------------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|------------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|------------------------|----------------------|----------------------------|------------------------|
| S. No.            | State             | Cases under scrutiny | Poaching including seizure | Natural & other causes | Cases under scrutiny | Poaching including seizure | Natural & other causes | Cases under scrutiny | Poaching including seizure | Natural & other causes | Cases under scrutiny | Poaching including seizure | Natural & other causes |
| 1                 | Andhra Pradesh    | 0                    | 3                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 2                 | Arunachal Pradesh | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 1                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 3                 | Assam             | 5                    | 0                          | 1                      | 4                    | 1                          | 0                      | 4                    | 2                          | 1                      | 3                    | 5                          | 0                      |
| 4                 | Bihar             | 0                    | 0                          | 3                      | 0                    | 0                          | 2                      | 1                    | 3                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 5                 | Chhattisgarh      | 0                    | 2                          | 0                      | 0                    | 1                          | 0                      | 0                    | 2                          | 0                      | 1                    | 1                          | 0                      |
| 6                 | Delhi             | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 2                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 7                 | Jharkhand         | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 8                 | Karnataka         | 2                    | 0                          | 5                      | 0                    | 4                          | 11                     | 4                    | 3                          | 10                     | 11                   | 1                          | 3                      |
| 9                 | Kerala            | 2                    | 1                          | 1                      | 0                    | 0                          | 6                      | 3                    | 1                          | 1                      | 2                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 10                | Madhya Pradesh    | 0                    | 3                          | 13                     | 0                    | 6                          | 9                      | 5                    | 7                          | 20                     | 12                   | 1                          | 0                      |
| 11                | Maharashtra       | 1                    | 3                          | 6                      | 4                    | 1                          | 7                      | 4                    | 2                          | 11                     | 7                    | 6                          | 1                      |
| 12                | Mizoram           | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 13                | Nagaland          | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 1                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 14                | Odisha            | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 1                          | 0                      | 1                    | 0                          | 0                      | 1                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 15                | Rajasthan         | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 1                      | 1                    | 0                          | 3                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 16                | Tamil Nadu        | 3                    | 4                          | 10                     | 0                    | 1                          | 5                      | 4                    | 1                          | 3                      | 2                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 17                | Telangana         | 0                    | 1                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 1                    | 1                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
| 18                | Uttar Pradesh     | 1                    | 0                          | 1                      | 0                    | 4                          | 0                      | 1                    | 1                          | 2                      | 3                    | 1                          | 1                      |
| 19                | Uttarakhand       | 0                    | 2                          | 6                      | 2                    | 2                          | 6                      | 5                    | 6                          | 3                      | 11                   | 0                          | 0                      |
| 20                | West Bengal       | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 3                      | 0                    | 1                          | 0                      | 0                    | 0                          | 0                      |
|                   | Total             | 14                   | 19                         | 46                     | 10                   | 21                         | 50                     | 35                   | 33                         | 54                     | 53                   | 15                         | 5                      |
| Grand Total 79 81 | Grand Total 79 81 | Grand Total 79 81    | Grand Total 79 81          | Grand Total 79 81      | Grand Total 79 81    | Grand Total 79 81          | Grand Total 79 81      | Grand Total 79 81    | Grand Total 79 81          | Grand Total 79 81      | Grand Total 79 81    | Grand Total 79 81          | Grand Total 79 81      |

***