Save The Tiger: SC demands answers from Centre on Tiger Deaths

Lucknow: The Supreme Court has directed the Center to provide information about tiger deaths in the country. A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagaratna sought the information after taking cognizance of the news published in newspapers regarding the death of tigers.

The top court was hearing a petition filed in 2017 by advocate Anupam Tripathi. The petition sought to save the endangered tigers. The bench said that though the petitioners are not present, the respondents will find out about the alleged death of tigers in India. Also, the court ordered the matter to be listed after three weeks.

Maximum 270 deaths occurred in Madhya Pradesh

According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), 1,059 tigers have died in India since 2012, with Madhya Pradesh recording the maximum number of deaths (270). The Center had informed the top court on January 27 that according to a 2018 report, there were 2,967 tigers in 53 tiger reserves in the country.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the bench that a lot of work has been done to conserve tigers and increase their population. The petition stated that the tigers were being killed by poaching and poisoning by local people and authorities.