MUMBAI: In country's one of the biggest and most dense Tadoba Andhari tiger reserve, 51 people have died in the year 2022 after they were attacked by tigers and leopards as against 21 tigers and leopards who died mostly due to natural death followed by mishaps and internal fights, forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar told the Maharashtra legislative assembly.
Meanwhile, the state has arranged for "secret service funds" to give away prizes to informers alerting the forest administration over attacks or any harm to wildlife, he said.
Of the 51 deaths of people recorded in this tiger reserve of the central India region, 44 were due to the attacks by tigers while seven were due to attacks by leopards. The statistics, presented by Mungantiwar in his written reply to the assembly during question hour, suggested that nine tigers, three leopards, six cheetals, one nilgai and bear each, and five peacocks died a natural death while one tiger got electrocuted. For those who succumb to injuries in the man-animal conflicts, the compensation to the family of the victim has been fixed at Rs 20 lakh, he said.
