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Speaking to STOI, Khandre said: “After discussing with our state forest department officials, I would request the Union minister for environment, forests and climate change, Bhupendra Yadav, to have one more look at this huge difference in numbers.”
According to the latest census report released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the number of tigers in MP rose to 785 in 2022 from 526 in 2018, making the state the tiger capital of India a second consecutive time.
While Karnataka forest department officials are happy that the state has emerged as No. 2 with 563 tigers and have said that the credit goes to its frontline staffers and officials, they, too, were surprised by the figures posted by MP.
The forest minister said: “We are happy with our performance, but also surprised to see such a sharp increase in the tiger population of Madhya Pradesh. We are hopeful that our [final] numbers will either touch or cross the 600 mark.”
He explained: “Had the difference between the two states been 40-50 tigers it could have still been convincing, but this difference of 259 tigers between the first- and second-placed states, within a span of just four years, has left us baffled.” Karnataka forest department official pointed out that MP has recorded an almost 50% increase in its big cat population in four years – from 2018 to 2022. “This means MP saw a 10-15% growth in its tiger numbers year-on-year. This means that either the previous census figures were wrongly corroborated or such lapses have been now been rectified ,” the officer said.
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