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On the chilly morning of January 27, 2026, a two-and-a-half-year-old male tiger was killed after coming in contact with illegal electric fencing installed by farmers near the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) in Bihar’s West Champaran district. This is the first reported case of electrocution of a tiger by illegal electric fencing in the state’s lone tiger reserve.
Never before has something of this sort happened in VTR, unlike tiger deaths due to electrocution in central and southern Indian reserves. Studies have revealed that electrocution is one of the major threats to tiger conservation in central India, which hosts the country’s largest tiger populations.
Tigers have reportedly been killed in the past in VTR due to different causes. In 2025, three tigers were found dead at different places in the reserve. In May 2025, two males were found dead within a span of a few days with injury marks on the carcasses but vital organs intact. VTR officials had claimed at the time that these were clear signs of territorial infighting.
According to VTR official Sunil Kumar Pathak, a team out on routine patrol found the tiger’s carcass in a sugar cane field near Purainia village under the Manguraha forest range of VTR on January 27. He admitted that the tiger was killed by illegal electric fencing around a field. Farmers have been installing illegal electric fencing to save their rabi crops from wild animals in fields close to VTR.
Field Director Nesamani K told Down To Earth that initial investigation revealed the tiger died due to electrocution caused by illegal electric fencing. Post-mortem conducted by a team of veterinarians confirmed this. But the final report that is still awaited, will specify the exact cause of death. In accordance with protocol, viscera samples would be sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly for final analysis.
“There is no doubt it is a new challenge for us as farmers installing illegal electric fencing around their fields will be lethal for tigers. The big cats which move outside protected forest areas of VTR have to be protected,” said Nesamani.
He said VTR will launch an awareness campaign to convince farmers not to install electric fences.
“As our job is to protect tigers in their natural habitat, anyone found guilty in this case will have to face action under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,” Nesamani said.
Though this is the first such incident in VTR, officials in recent years have admitted that electric fencing by farmers near protected forest areas to keep away wild animals like nilgai antelope and wild boar is illegal and fatal. Farmers use grid power meant for household and agriculture consumers for illegal electric fencing.
A wildlife expert said it is common for tigers to move in human-dominated landscapes, including fields, near protected forest areas. There is a risk to their lives if they come in contact with electric fences.
According to official data, tiger numbers in VTR rose to 54 in the last official survey two years ago, up from 31 in 2018. In 2014, there were only 28 tigers in the reserve.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had officially announced the increase in VTR’s tiger population in July. The reserve has witnessed a 75 per cent increase in tiger numbers, something that was praised by NTCA. The organisation placed the reserve in the ‘Very Good’ category.
VTR is spread over 899 square kilometres (89,900 ha) in the Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary. It is bordered by Nepal to the north and Uttar Pradesh to the west.
The Bihar government is waiting to obtain a formal approval for declaring Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary in Kaimur district as the state’s second tiger reserve after VTR.