Tiger found dead in Nauradehi sanctuary, 11th death in 2026

Bhopal: A rewilded sub-adult male tiger was found dead under unexplained circumstances inside the core area of Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh, officials said on Monday, two days after the MP high court pulled up forest authorities over unnatural tiger deaths in the state. With this, 11 tigers have died in Madhya Pradesh in the first one and half months of the year 2026.The tiger, aged around 33–35 months, was recently translocated under the state's tiger expansion programme aimed at reviving big cat presence in low-density forest landscapes beyond traditional strongholds such as Kanha and Pench.According to forest officials, the carcass was located in compartment number 159 of Manegaon Beat under Mohali Range during routine monitoring. The tiger was fitted with a satellite radio collar before release, and its movement was tracked round the clock from the control room. Over the past two days, the collar data showed the animal's location fixed at one point, raising alarm among the monitoring team.When frontline staff reached the GPS coordinates late in the evening, they found the tiger lying motionless inside dense forest terrain in the core zone. As darkness set in, the area was secured overnight. A full-scale investigation, including deployment of a dog squad, collection of forensic samples and post-mortem examination, is being carried out as per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) protocol.Senior forest officers, veterinarians and wildlife experts rushed to the spot on Tuesday morning. Viscera samples are being preserved for toxicology tests, and pugmarks and other field evidence are being examined to rule out territorial conflict, poisoning, electrocution or any other unnatural cause.Officials said the radio collar data from the previous 72 hours will be analysed to reconstruct the tiger's final movements and behaviour.The tiger was rescued nearly three years ago as a 4–5-month-old orphaned cub from the Rukhad range of Pench Tiger Reserve. It was later shifted to Kanha Tiger Reserve's Ghorela rewilding enclosure near Mukki, where it underwent structured training in hunting live prey and independent survival under semi-wild conditions.After being declared fit for release by a team of veterinarians and scientists, the tiger was tranquilised, medically examined and fitted with a satellite collar before being moved to the Nauradehi landscape, a vast forested stretch identified under long-term tiger conservation strategy as a potential expansion zone.Forest authorities expressed confidence that Nauradehi's contiguous forest habitat and sufficient prey base would allow the young male to establish territory and contribute to stabilising tiger presence in the region.During the hearing last week, the high court sought accountability and stricter monitoring mechanisms in cases of unnatural deaths. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey demanded a time-bound, independent inquiry into the incident. "Every rewilded tiger represents years of effort and public resources. Such deaths must be transparently investigated," he said.Officials maintained that no foul play was officially confirmed so far. "The cause of death will be established only after scientific examination and laboratory reports," a senior officer said. Further action will depend on the post-mortem findings and NTCA guidelines, officials added.