Tigers are disappearing: 25 out of 75 tigers are unaccounted for in Ranthambore Park
Tigers are disappearing: 25 out of 75 tigers are unaccounted for in Ranthambore Park
Recent reports highlight a concerning issue in Ranthambore National Park (RNP), where 25 out of the 75 tigers have vanished. According to Pavan Kumar Upadhyay, the chief wildlife warden of Rajasthan, about 25 tigers from a total of approximately 75 in the Ranthambore National Park (RNP) have ‘vanished’ over the past year, as reported to the RNP authorities on Monday.
This is the first time that such a significant number of tigers has been officially reported missing. In 2022, 13 tigers were noted as missing from Ranthambore National Park, but that was over three years, from January 2019 to January 2022.
The alarming number of missing tigers has caused concern in Rajasthan, prompting the chief wildlife warden to form a three-member committee on Monday to look into the disappearances.
This committee will examine monitoring reports and suggest actions against officials if any negligence by the park administration is discovered.
There has also been an increase in conflicts between humans and wildlife in Ranthambore.
The main goal of the department is to find the 14 tigers that went missing in just four months, between May 17 and September 30 of this year.
An official order issued on November 4 stated that reports of missing tigers have frequently arisen from monitoring assessments within the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR).
“Despite multiple letters sent to the RTR field director, no satisfactory changes have been seen. According to a report dated October 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 formed to investigate the issue of the missing tigers in Ranthambore,” the order stated.
Upadhyay mentioned that the committee is expected to present its findings within two months. He pointed out that there are some lapses in monitoring that they intend to address. Recently, he began collecting weekly monitoring reports, which indicated that the missing tigers were not captured by the camera traps. Taking this issue seriously, the committee was established.
The state forest department has identified 24 villages in the buffer zone and surrounding areas of the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) for potential relocation of residents. The last relocation occurred in 2016 when families from two villages were moved, but the process has been slow. To reduce human-animal conflicts, new programs need to be developed with the active participation of local communities, according to a retired official.
However, park managers contend that the situation is more complicated than it seems. RTR is dealing with several challenges, including an overpopulation of tigers. The already crowded reserve has experienced an uptick in human-wildlife conflicts. Tigers, being territorial and migratory by nature, have begun to disperse in search of larger, undisturbed areas for hunting, resting, and breeding. In the congested park, many tigers have died in territorial disputes over access to prey and mates.
Sources indicate that the tigers in Ranthambore are currently limited to a 900 sq km area. The situation is likely to deteriorate as both male and female tigers, especially the older ones, are having difficulty establishing their territories. According to a study by the Wildlife Institute of India conducted from 2006 to 2014, the carrying capacity of Ranthambore National Park and Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary is only about 40 adult tigers. However, there are currently 75 tigers, including subadults and cubs. With over 10 tigers per 100 sq km, territorial disputes are forcing the weaker animals to move away.
