The most common questions people asked us during the pandemic were- what is the effect of the lockdown on tigers in Ranthambhore? are they safe? has poaching increased in Ranthambhore?

Firstly, it should be clear that there was not a single year when tigers did not go missing in the last 18 years of my career in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. Every year 2-3 tigers went missing unnoticed and no one knows where they go. There were only a few indications that tigers are disappearing from certain areas. Please refer to an earlier article on the subject by Tiger Watch (The Mystery Behind the Missing Tigers – Tiger Watch).

Table 03  in the aforementioned article shows 30 tigers went missing in a 12 year  period. Not a single year has a blank entry,  at least one tiger went missing each year. A maximum 6 tigers went missing in the year 2013. Among those 30 missing tigers- young tigers, tigers in their prime, old tigers,males and females all were included. We did not include dead tigers in this figure.

However between January 2020- March 2021, a shocking total of 12 tigers have gone missing.

This included male T-47, male T-42, male T-62, male T-65. male T-72, female T-73 and her 3 cubs, female T-92, male T-95, male T-97. This figure is enormous and more than a cause of alarm for us. 

Facts behind the 12 missing tigers (January 2020-March 2021) 
1.     Only T-47 was an old male tiger, which was recorded for the first time in the  Kailadevi WLS. No one knows about his parentage. 
2.     Male T-62 was in his prime but a young male  pushed him out and he reached the Ramgarh Vishdhari Sanctuary ( 4-5 years earlier). He later returned, but was possibly killed by an intruding male tiger T-110.            
3.    Family of 5 tigers – Male T-65 and female T-73 with 3 cubs (1 year old)  suddenly disappeared. It is very suspicous that the entire family of 5 suddenly dissappeared from the Bhadlao-Shyampura- Dhundermal Darra area.  
4.     Male T-95,  reached very close to the Bhadlao- Shyampura area while searching for new territory and disappeared soon after. 
5.   Male T-97, was active from Talda to Dhundermal area.
6.   Male T-72 and female T-92 both have been disappeared from the Mandrail area of Kailadevi WLS. T-72 disappeared just before the first lockdown, and the female T-92 disappeared after one year . 
7. The famous male tiger T-42  known as ‘Fateh’ also vanished in early 2020 from the Sawai Mansingh WLS.  

While poaching cannot be ruled out as a causal factor, there is little evidence at the moment to suggest the return of organized poaching. There has however been an increase in cases of electrocutions from unethical crop protection methods (3 men have died in the last 5 years) and poisoning ( T-65, the male tiger who died earlier this month possibly succumbed to a poisoned cattle kill). Wire snaring has also been a problem, in December 2020, the male tiger T-108 was rescued from a wire snare by the Forest Department after timely intelligence was provided by Tiger Watch’s Village Wildlife Volunteers. 

We certainly don’t mean to dampen spirits. Indeed, a lot of good work has been done in recent years. Thus, wildlife conservation is not about indulging in romantic fantasies nor resting on past laurels, it is about identifying key issues on the ground with accuracy and addressing them. We have penned this note in the hope of addressing a pressing concern and identifying long term solutions.