Madhya Pradesh HC Seeks Report On MP Reserves

Jabalpur : In view of the recent tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court sought a status report on all the nine tiger reserves and sought to know the steps taken by the government to contain a suspected outbreak of Canine Plague Virus (CDV) among big cats in Kanha. A division bench comprising Justices Anand Pathak and BP Sharma gave the directions on Thursday while hearing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed regarding the recent death of eight big cats in Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR).

While the state government informed the bench that 2,000 dogs around KTR have been vaccinated against CDV, the court insisted on a foolproof prevention strategy.

He sent the matter to the next hearing on August 17.

The court asked the government to strictly comply with all Supreme Court directions regarding tiger reserves, seeking a detailed response on vaccination of dogs and measures to prevent infections not only in Kanha but for all tiger reserves in the state.

Authorities have also been directed to fill wildlife veterinary posts in all nine reserves at the earliest and take effective canine contraceptive measures.

Lawyers Anshuman Singh and Prateek Rusia sided with the petitioner, Mumbai-based lawyer Subrat Chakraborty.

According to the PIL, eight tigers died in April and May, including tigers T-122 (Sunaina) and T-141 (Amahi), four sub-adult cubs of the latter and young tigress T-220 (Mahavir).

The petition raised suspicion of CDV infection and called for stronger scientific surveillance, biosecurity measures, and veterinary regulations.

Speaking to PTI, wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said that 40 tigers have died in the state since January, which is very worrying, and 55 big cat deaths were reported in the state last year.

Madhya Pradesh was home to 785 tigers, the highest number among states in India, as per the big cat’s last census in 2022.