Tiger poaching spirals, Uttarakhand registers maximum cases

On December 15, Uttar Pradesh police arrested 11 persons from a place near Badigarh Rehar police station in Bijnor district on charges of poaching. They were found in possession of two tiger skins and bones. The gang had killed two tigers that had strayed out of neighbouring Corbett Tiger Reserve a few days before. The poachers had installed several traps in and around the reserve.

The killing of the two tigers as 2013 drew to a close served as a reminder of how difficult the past year has been for the country's tiger population. At least 42 tigers have been killed by poachers across the country this year. This is the highest number of poaching cases recorded in a year since 2005. What's more, most of the big cats were killed in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve, considered the showpiece of tiger conservation in India. In fact, the biggest setback for tiger conservation came from Corbett in June this year when three tigers were found dead in and around the reserve in the span of week.

The interactive map below shows places where poachers had a free run the past year and caused maximum damage to the big cat. Darker the shade of orange more was the number of tiger deaths registered. You can click on the state to know incident details.

Please note: No cases of tiger poaching were reported from the states shown in lightest shade of orange. (Data credit: Source: Wildlife Protection Society of India, NTCA) Below is a graph which shows the number cases of tiger poaching recorded in a year since 2001.

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