Maharashtra's Chandrapur grapples with surge in tiger attacks: 11 killed in May, 22 deaths reported so far this year

Indian Express

2 days ago

As Maharashtra's Chandrapur district continues to witness a rise in tiger population amid an intense dependency on forests among residents, the region is grappling with an alarming surge in human-wildlife conflict.
In the month of May alone, 11 people were killed in tiger attacks.
Recent data from forest authorities reveals that between 2021 and May 2025, 173 people have lost their lives in wildlife encounters in the district, a vast majority of which (150) were attributed to tiger attacks.
According to official figures, the tiger population in Chandrapur district surged from 34 in 2006 to 223 in 2021, parallel to a broader state-level increase from 103 in 2006 to 444 in 2022.
However, this success in conservation has come with significant challenges.
Human deaths peaked in 2022 with 53 fatalities, while 2025 has already recorded 22 deaths as of May 31.
The bulk of these wildlife encounters in the last five years – 110 of the total 173 – occurred 'within forested zones'.
In addition to fatalities, human injuries due to wildlife attacks have also steadily risen, from 76 in 2021 to 314 in 2024, and 129 cases already reported in 2025.
Livestock losses are also mounting, with over 10,900 animals killed between 2021 and 2025.
Compensation payments to affected individuals for livestock losses have exceeded Rs 122 crore during the same period, with the 2024–25 financial year alone seeing payouts of Rs 31.39 crore.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Chandrapur, said, 'This particular period coincides with the collection of tendu leaves, and during May, around 50,000-60,000 people go into the forest, which has more than 150 tigers. That increases the chances of encounter.' He added, 'In this case, the incidents can be avoided if people follow forest advisories, but people don't give importance to these advisories. Even if the department stops them physically, they find another way to enter the forest as it is not walled.'
The leaves of the tendu tree are used to make traditional Indian cigarettes or beedis.
The tree is also an important source of timber, which is used in construction and furniture making.
Dr Ramgaonkar said the entire forest area of the district (excluding wildlife sanctuaries and national parks), is divided into several tendu leaf collection units which are auctioned annually.
These units may be purchased by the same or different contractors each year.
However, most of the recent wildlife attacks have occurred deep within the forest.
He further noted that tenders are floated every year for these units.
In certain regions where community forest rights have been officially recognised, the gram sabha acts as both the seller and the decision-making body for choosing the purchaser.
Dr Ramgaonkar said the department carried out an exercise where high, moderate, and less sensitive areas of the district were mapped for tiger movement.
'We monitor these movements using the camera traps installed. We deploy our teams where necessary. But if you notice carefully, almost 95 per cent of the incidents are happening in the forest area. Tigers are not coming out and killing people, people are going inside the tiger's area. We need to focus on the fact that if not in the forest, then where should the tigers live?'
The department has also observed that in many such incidents, people sleep inside the forest, out in the open.
'These are the things that are difficult to comprehend, and it has become difficult to understand the behaviour of the people. Hence, we need to be very strict about the entry of people into the forest, but unfortunately, we are not able to do that.'
Dr Ramgaonkar added, 'There are no tigers lurking around Chandrapur city.'
'We have a large number of Primary Response Teams (PRT) formed with the involvement of the villagers themselves. We have such teams in around 200 villages. Every team has five members. They are trained and provided with security kits. They work as first responders. In case of animal movements, we provide them with the necessary information. They then reach the location and alert the villagers.'
Talking about an AI-powered early warning system, he said, 'It has been implemented in 20 villages and it is working. But we can put that system in the interface of the forest and villages, wherever the animal comes from the forest and tries to go into the village. But if people are going deep inside the forest, no system can work there.'
Chandrapur district is known for its rich forest cover spread across 4,845.31 sq km.
This includes territorial (2,759.74 sq km) forests, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) (1,321.90 sq km), Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM)-managed (759.65 sq km) and revenue (4.02 sq. km) forests.
Administratively, the Chandrapur Forest Circle is divided into three divisions, Chandrapur, Brahmapuri, and Central Chanda, which together comprise 19 forest ranges, 69 forest blocks, and 275 designated forest areas.
To address the human-wildlife conflicts, authorities have ramped up response mechanisms. Since July 2023, 22 tigers and leopards have been tranquilised and relocated to safe enclosures, including Kanhargaon Sanctuary, Gorewada Zoo in Nagpur, and the Transit Treatment Centre in Chandrapur.
A network of 181 primary and rapid response teams, comprising 917 members, has been deployed across the district's forest divisions to manage emergencies and mitigate threats.
Camera traps, now numbering 928 across 275 forest beats, are being used to monitor animal movement, while an advanced wildlife control room operating out of Rambag Colony coordinates real-time responses via the toll-free number 1800 3033.
Despite these measures, forest dependency remains a key challenge.