Vanishing stripes: 25 of 75 tigers missing from Ranthambore park

JAIPUR: As many as 25 tigers, out of a population of around 75 in the tiger reserve in Ranthambore National Park (RNP) in Rajasthan, have "disappeared" within the last year, Rajasthan's chief wildlife warden Pavan Kumar Upadhyay told RNP authorities Monday.

This is the first time such a large number of tigers has been reported missing, officially. In 2022, 13 tigers were reported to be missing from Ranthambore National Park. However, this happened over a three-year period, between Jan 2019 and Jan 2022.

The high number of missing cats has triggered panic in Rajasthan, with the chief wildlife warden constituting a three-member committee on Monday to investigate the disappearance of the tigers. The committee will review the monitoring reports and recommend action against officials if any negligence by the park administration is found.

Uptick in man-wildlife conflicts in Ranthambore

The department's primary objective is to locate the 14 tigers which went missing in just four months, between May 17 and Sept 30, this year.

An official order issued on Nov 4 said that reports of missing tigers have repeatedly emerged from monitoring the assessments within Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR).

"Despite several letters sent to RTR field director, no satisfactory changes have been observed. According to a report dated Oct 14, 2024, there has been no concrete evidence of 11 tigers for over a year, and substantial evidence of 14 others has not been obtained for less than a year. Given these circumstances, an inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the matter of the missing tigers in Ranthambore," the order said.

Talking to TOI, Upadhyay said, "The committee will submit its report within two months. There are some monitoring lapses that we aim to address. Recently, I started gathering weekly monitoring reports, which revealed that these tigers were not recorded by the camera traps. Taking this situation seriously, the committee has been formed."

"The state forest department had shortlisted 24 villages in the buffer zone and periphery of RTR for relocation of villagers. The last such relocation took place in 2016, when families from two villages were moved. However, the process has been slow. To mitigate human-animal conflict, new programmes must be designed with the active involvement of local communities," said a retired official.

Park managers, however, argue that the situation is more complex than it appears, as RTR faces several challenges, including overpopulation of tigers.

The reserve, already overcrowded, has seen an increase in human-wildlife conflicts. Tigers, being inherently territorial and migratory, have started dispersing in search of larger, undisturbed areas where they can hunt, rest, and breed. In the congested park, many tigers perished in territorial disputes over access to prey and mates.

According to sources, Ranthambore tigers are currently confined to a 900 sq km area. The situation is expected to worsen as both male and female tigers, particularly older ones, struggle to establish their own territories.

"A Wildlife Institute of India study, conducted between 2006 and 2014, found that the carrying capacitiy of Ranthambore National Park and Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary is no more than 40 adult tigers. Currently, there are 75 tigers, including subadults and cubs. With more than 10 tigers per 100 sq km, territorial conflicts are forcing weaker animals to leave," an official stated.