Poaching Threatens Ranthambore Tigers: Urgent Investigation Initiated

Concerns about poaching in Rajasthan's Ranthambore Tiger Reserve have intensified following the discovery that three tigers killed by an interstate poaching gang are likely from the reserve. This comes after a joint operation last month by the State Tiger Strike Force of Madhya Pradesh, the Rajasthan Forest Department, and the NGO Tiger Watch based in Sawai Madhopur. The operation resulted in the arrest of six poachers, three of whom are from Rajasthan. Officials seized over 225 pieces of big cat bones near Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh on June 5.

Among those arrested are Dauji Bheel and Sunita Dauji from Dausa, Rajasthan, and Besta Bheel from Sheopur, Madhya Pradesh, who were found with big cat skulls and bones. Madhya Pradesh forest officials also arrested Baniram Moghiya and Naresh from Shivpuri in the state, along with Rajaram Moghiya from Tonk, Rajasthan.

The Madhya Pradesh forest authorities have requested the DNA profiles of Ranthambore's tiger population from Rajasthan to match with the confiscated remains. A senior Rajasthan Forest Department official stated, "We received the correspondence and a response will be provided after due examination. Our teams are actively pursuing the matter."

Ranthambore Field Director Anoop K R reported to Rajasthan's chief wildlife warden stating that a few bones have been identified as those of a tiger. The joint investigative team from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan forest departments is working in coordination to determine the origin of these bones. DNA testing in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur confirmed the remains belonged to three tigers and one leopard. Samples have been sent to the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, for advanced matching with Ranthambore's tiger database, with results expected in three weeks.

Sources suspect the poaching occurred on the Rajasthan side of the Chambal landscape. Investigations suggest a tiger was killed approximately six months ago and a leopard around Holi, both likely within Rajasthan.

Wildlife activist and RTI campaigner Ajay Dubey has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into what he describes as a "well-organised inter-state and international trafficking network." He emphasized that the deaths of tigers in the Kuno-Madhav-Ranthambore corridor indicate a larger poaching racket that demands thorough investigation.

Records from the Rajasthan Forest Department show that five tigers from Ranthambore—T79, T131, T138, T139, and T2401—went missing under suspicious circumstances between June 2022 and May 2024. The missing tigers include two females and three males aged between 3 and 12 years.

Forest officials have stated that if the DNA tests confirm the remains are from Ranthambore's missing tigers, it will underscore the vulnerability of big cats venturing beyond protected areas and highlight the urgent need for tighter interstate anti-poaching coordination.