Indian tiger reserves made known due to man-animal conflict

India is home to approximately 3,682 tigers (as per 2022 census), 58 tiger reserves, spread across 18 states and approximately 84,487.83 square kilometers, representing about 2.3 percent of India’s land area. That’s a tremendous thing. But did you know that of all the tiger reserves in India, there are a few that have gained infamy due to man-animal conflicts. These reserves, often near human settlements, face challenges from habitat loss, prey scarcity, and human encroachment, leading to rare but notable human-tiger conflicts.

Jim Corbett National Park became India’s first tiger reserve in 1973, and is synonymous with man-eating tigers, largely due to the legacy of Jim Corbett, the hunter-naturalist who chronicled his exploits in Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944). The most infamous case is the Champawat Tiger, a tigress responsible for 436 human deaths across Nepal and Kumaon between 1902 and 1907. Others were the Thak Man-eater (1938) and Mohan Man-eater (1931).

The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is notorious for its man-eating tigers, driven by unique environmental factors. The delta’s brackish water, dense mangroves, and low prey density push tigers toward human settlements, with a large number of human deaths reported annually in the Indian Sundarbans

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, one of India’s narrowest at 730.24 square kilometers, has gained attention for man-animal incidents due to its proximity to agricultural fields. In Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, sugarcane fields blend into forest, acting as corridors for tigers to enter human areas. The reserve’s fragmented landscape and human activities like farming increase encounters.

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, covering 704 square kilometers, is a conservation success with 115 tigers (as per 2025 survey) but has made news for man-animal conflicts in its buffer zones. The latest incident is from May 2025, where a tigress named T-81 and her cubs were captured and sent to Gorewada Zoo in Nagpur.

Ranthambore, spanning 1,500 square kilometers, is a tourist favorite but notorious for recent man-animal conflict due to its overcrowded tiger population. From 2019 to mid-2025, at least 6 human casualties were reported from the tiger reserve. A legendary tiger named Ustaad was one such individual who made headlines. The reserve’s high tiger density and human activities like grazing amplify risks.