The High Court of Madhya Pradesh has sought a status report on all nine tiger reserves in the state, following the recent deaths of eight big cats at Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR). A division bench of Justices Anand Pathak and B P Sharma gave the directions on Thursday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed over the deaths.
The court’s move comes in light of the suspected outbreak of Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) among big cats at Kanha. The state government informed the bench that 2,000 dogs in the vicinity of KTR have already been vaccinated against CDV, but the court insisted on a foolproof prevention strategy.
The court has asked the government to strictly comply with all Supreme Court directives concerning tiger reserves. It has sought a detailed response on vaccinating dogs and measures to prevent infections not only in Kanha but all tiger reserves in the state. The court has also directed the authorities to fill posts of wildlife veterinarians in all nine reserves at the earliest and ensure effective dog birth control measures.
The PIL, filed by Mumbai-based lawyer Subrat Chakraborty, raised suspicion of CDV infection and sought stronger scientific surveillance, biosecurity measures, and veterinary arrangements. According to the PIL, eight tigers died in April and May, including tigresses T-122 (Sunaina) and T-141 (Amahi), the latter’s four sub-adult cubs, and a young tiger T-220 (Mahavir).
Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey expressed concern over the rising number of tiger deaths in the state, stating that 40 tigers have died since January, which is very alarming. Last year, 55 big cat mortalities were reported in the state. Madhya Pradesh was home to 785 tigers, the highest amongst the states in India as per the big cat’s last count in 2022.
The matter has been posted for the next hearing on August 17.
