Pune: Tiger attacks have caused more human deaths in Maharashtra in the past few years than by any other big cats, including leopards , a state forest department data showed. In 2023-24, 39 people died in tiger attacks and 15 in leopard attacks. In 2022-23, there were 18 deaths due to leopard attacks and 81 owing to tiger attacks.
Similarly, in 2021-22, there were 26 deaths due to leopard attacks and 53 due to tiger attacks. "Most of these cases occur when people living in the vicinity of forests encroach upon wildlife space and do not follow the safety instructions before entering the animal territory. Most of these attacks are accidental, with only a few exceptions.
If animals are in favourable conditions, their population inevitably increases, such as in sugar cane farms. We can reduce animal-human interface and fatality by following precautionary measures," former principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Sunil Limaye told TOI. While tigers are more common in the central parts of the state and not visible in the western regions, leopards are found all across the state, most commonly in grassland areas, where agricultural land use has extended into wildlife territory.
Tiger attacks have been observed the most in Chandrapur district and the villages surrounding it, many times in the fringe areas of Tadoba Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary, and in Bramhapuri. Villagers enter the buffer zone of the sanctuary to collect items for making local cigarettes (beedis) and end up in conflict situations with tigers. "In case of leopards, which are elusive animals, most attacks occur in areas where farming activity is high.
In Dhule, five children were killed last year. The animal adapts a lot; once the crops are cut, they enter the forest areas yet again. In tiger-dominant landscapes, leopard attacks are less due to large predators.
In Maharashtra, leopards are able to easily hide in thick plantation of sugar cane farms," said Aditya Paranjape, wildlife warden, Pune district. In 2023, Chandrapur witnessed 7 deaths due to leopard attacks in tiger-dominated areas. Over the years, there have been multiple instances of deaths due to wild boars, elephants, gaurs, sloth bears, crocodiles, and wolves and foxes sometimes, but the big cats top the list.
Most of these deaths are accidental, with animals attacking in their defence. "The forest department is taking measures under a multipronged strategy to prevent accidents and man-animal conflict situations. The rising number of all species of wild animals has been posing a tough challenge.
The number of tigers went up to 444 in 2022 from 312 in 2018 in the state. The leopard population also increased from 1,670 to 1,995 in Maharashtra during the same period," said principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden Maheep Gupta. GRAPHIC: Year Animal Deaths 2019-20 Crocodile 1 Elephant 1 Gaur 2 Leopard 7 Sloth bear 3 Tiger 26 Wild boar 8 Year Animal Deaths 2020-21 Leopard 33 Nilgai 2 Not specified 1 Sloth bear 4 tiger 38 Wild pig 2 wolf 2 Year Animal Deaths 2021-22 Bison 1 Elephant 1 Leopard 26 tiger 53 Wild pig 5 Year Animal Deaths 2022-23 Crocodile 1 Elephant 2 fOX 1 Gaur 15 Leopard 18 Sloth bear 2 Tiger 81 Year Animal Deaths 2023-24 Bison 1 Elephant 5 Gaur 1 Leopard 15 Sloth bear 3 Tiger 39.
