Six tigers, including two cubs, have been missing at the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve for a year, officials of the Rajasthan forest department said on Friday.
According to officials, the last sightings of the tigers were captured through camera traps installed inside the forest in March and April last year.
However, State forest officials are not willing to label them “missing” and denied reports that they may have been poached.
Chief conservator of forest and field director Tikam Chand Verma said he was unaware of the incident and said that he will seek information from deputy conservator of forests Mahendra Sharma. Despite several attempts, Sharma was unavilable for comment.
Independent wildlife groups such as Tiger Watch have alleged that the tigers have been missing for over a year and that “negative human intervention being a cause [poaching]” could not be ruled out.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority, a wing of the Union Environment Ministry, has constituted a committee to ascertain the disappearance of the tigers. R.P. Gupta, Secretary, Environment Ministry, said while a report was still awaited from the State, it was not unusual for tigers to move outside the reserve — even as far as Mathura, Uttar Pradesh; Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Dati in Madhya Pradesh — but they have not ruled out other causes.
The official emphasised that there are limited cameras installed in the forest areas and sometimes they do not capture the movement of big cats. The reserve’s administration is trying to locate the tigers and has written to authorities in nearby districts and the Madhya Pradesh forest department for help.
At least 26 big cats have gone missing from the reserve over the last 10 years. Tigers named T-42 Fateh and T-47 Mohan have been missing from the reserve since January 2020.
Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota, which was populated two years back with four tigers and three cubs, now has just one tigress. Two tigers and a cub have died, while three have gone missing.
