He further mentioned that apart from tigers, 40 leopards were also killed, eight allegedly due to natural death, 20 from falling into wells, three in hunting incidents, and nine due to unknown reasons.Moreover, 61 other wild animals were killed in the same four-month period in 2025, 23 allegedly due to natural causes, four from electric short circuits, four from hunting, 24 were killed due to wild dog attacks or by falling into wells, and four due to unknown reasons.Between January 2022 and December 2024, 707 wild animals were allegedly killed, including 107 tigers, over the two-year period. Forest department data also revealed that in man-animal conflicts, 21 people were killed between January and April 2025.Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said the state government has undertaken several measures to curb the poaching of wild animals. He said, “We have also started the helpline – 1926, where anyone can contact and inform if they notice untoward incidents of wild animal poaching.“We have also formed a squad that keeps watch in highly sensitive areas. We also engaged the informer – Khabari – who can anonymously pass sensitive information about poaching so that the forest officials can take action without any delay. The forest department is developing high-rise watch towers as well,” the minister added.
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