Jaipur: In a worrying turn of events, 25 tigers have disappeared from Ranthambore National Park (RNP) in Rajasthan, which is home to approximately 75 tigers, as confirmed by Rajasthan’s Chief Wildlife Warden, Pavan Kumar Upadhyay, on Monday. This marks the first official report of such a significant number of tigers going missing. In comparison, 13 tigers were reported missing between January 2019 and January 2022.
The sudden loss of so many tigers has raised serious concerns in Rajasthan, prompting Upadhyay to establish a three-member committee on Monday to investigate the situation. The committee will review monitoring reports and recommend actions against any officials found negligent in their duties.
The immediate focus is to locate the 14 tigers that went missing between May 17 and September 30 this year. A directive issued on November 4 highlighted recurring reports of missing tigers in the monitoring assessments of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR). Despite multiple letters sent to the RTR field director, no improvements were observed. A report dated October 14, 2024, revealed that there was no concrete evidence of 11 tigers for over a year, and insufficient evidence for another 14. As a result, an inquiry committee has been formed to investigate these disappearances.
Upadhyay stated, “The committee will submit its findings within two months. We will address any monitoring lapses. Recent weekly reports indicated that these tigers were not captured by camera traps, prompting the formation of this committee.”
A retired official noted that the state forest department has been slow in relocating villagers from the buffer zones of the reserve. He stressed the importance of implementing new programs to reduce human-animal conflict, with active community involvement.
Park managers, however, believe the situation is more complex. The increasing tiger population has led to overcrowding in the reserve, contributing to more frequent human-wildlife conflicts. As territorial animals, tigers have started to disperse in search of larger, less disturbed areas for hunting and breeding. This has resulted in territorial disputes, with weaker tigers being displaced or killed.
Currently, tigers in Ranthambore are confined to a 900 sq km area, which is proving insufficient, particularly for older tigers. A study by the Wildlife Institute of India found that Ranthambore can support no more than 40 adult tigers, yet there are currently 75 tigers, including subadults and cubs. With a density of over 10 tigers per 100 sq km, territorial disputes are driving some tigers to leave the park in search of new territories
