Record tiger deaths, 50% survival of introduced cheetahs in 2023: How big cats fared in India

A record number of 168 tigers died in India in 2023, as per the data available with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) till December 15, 2023. As per the data maintained by the NTCA, the year 2023 saw the highest number of tiger deaths over the past 12 years. The NTCA a statutory authority under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The year-wise trend of tiger mortality events recorded during 2012-2023 by NTCA is as follows:

(Data source: NTCA)

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Meanwhile, the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) said 201 tigers died in 2023 — up from 143 tiger deaths in 2022.

While India lost around 200 tigers in 2023 alone, the tiger population in India had increased by 200 from 2018 to 2022, the WPSI said, citing the fifth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation (2022) released on April 9, 2023.

Tiger In numbers: The number of tigers in India was estimated at 3,167 (minimum population estimate) in 2022 — up from 2,967 in 2018, the report showed. The average number of tigers in India was estimated to be 3,682, according to data reported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

In a press release in July 2023, the ministry cited an analysis of data done by the Wildlife Institute of India and said, “The upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 and the average number is 3,682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1 per cent per annum.”

All India Tiger Estimation (2022) said the number of unique tiger photographed in 2022 is 3,080, while in 2018 there were 2,461 unique tigers captured.

Besides this, the government recently informed Parliament that there are a total of 10 "black tigers" in India, all exclusively found in Odisha's Similipal.

"As per the 2022 cycle of the pan-India tiger estimation exercise, the Similipal Tiger Reserve has 16 tigers, out of which 10 exhibit melanism," Union Minister of State for Environment, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, told the Rajya Sabha.

Cheetah Mortalities

Out of the 20 cheetahs imported from Southern Africa and Namibia, a total of six of them died since March this year, as per the Project Cheetah Annual Report 2023. It said that Project Cheetah “has achieved the targets in one year such as 50 per cent survival of introduced cheetahs, home range establishment, birth of cubs.”

The first mortality was that of a Namibian female cheetah named Sasha. The second death was of a South African male cheetah named Uday. The third casualty was a South African female cheetah named Daksha.

Meanwhile, the deaths of one female named Tbilisi (from Namibia) and two South African males named Tejas and Sooraj were attributed to septicaemia.

The remaining three mortalities were cubs born within Kuno in Madhya Pradesh. They perished due to extreme heat, the report said.

Leopards Mortalities

According to WPSI, a total of 544 leopards died in India in 2023. As many as 518 had died in 2022.