BHOPAL: Two tigers–a four-month-old male cub and a ten-year-old female–have reportedly died in Satpura and Kanha tiger reserves of Madhya Pradesh within a span of 12 hours possibly due to infighting among adult tigers as peak mating season is nearing its end.
A four-month-old male tiger cub was found dead in the dense forests of Matkuli Range of Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) in Narmadapuram district.
According to official sources, growling was heard in the concerned forests on Saturday evening. When the patrolling staff located and rushed to the spot, they spotted a male cub dead on the spot.
“Necropsy of the cub revealed multiple claw and teeth injuries in various parts of the cub’s carcass. Further probes based on the pugmarks in the concerned area strongly suggested the presence of adult male and female tigers, amid the peak mating season. Investigations have raised the strong possibility of the male cub having been fatally attacked by an adult male tiger,” Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) field director Rakhi Nanda told TNIE on Monday.
Around 150 km away in the core area of Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR), just a few hours later, ten-year-old tigress Sunaina (T-122) was found dead under similar circumstances on Sunday morning. Sunaina was among the most popular and sighted tigers in the KTR.
“The examination of the carcass and the spot by veterinary experts and dog squad revealed the presence of movement of multiple adult tigers, males and females in the area. Further the nature of deep injuries also pointed towards the possibility of the tigress having been killed during territorial fight with another adult tiger,” KTR field director Ravindra Mani Tripathi told TNIE on Monday.
With these two deaths, MP has lost 16 tigers so far in 2026, which is more than 30% of total tiger fatalities this year in the country.
As per last year’s estimated numbers, KTR is home to around 120 adult tigers and around 40 cubs, while the adjoining territorial forests in Balaghat district too are replete with a thriving population of the big cats, making it an ideal tiger corridor.
The two deaths have occurred at a time when the peak mating/breeding season of tigers (November-April) is nearing a close, coinciding with the sixth and the final cycle of the All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE-2026) is in the concluding stage.