Tiger deaths: HC seeks report on MP reserves, steps to curb canine distemper virus ‘outbreak’

The Madhya Pradesh High Court sought a status report on all nine tiger reserves after recent tiger deaths and suspected Canine Distemper Virus infections at Kanha. It directed stronger disease prevention, dog vaccination, veterinary staffing and compliance with Supreme Court conservation guidelines

Jabalpur: In light of the recent tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh, the High Court has demanded a status report on all nine tiger reserves and sought to know the steps the government has taken to halt a suspected Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) outbreak among big cats at Kanha.

A division bench of Justices Anand Pathak and B P Sharma gave the directions on Thursday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed over the recent deaths of eight big cats at Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR).

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While the state government informed the bench that 2,000 dogs in the vicinity of KTR have already been vaccinated against CDV, the court insisted on a foolproof prevention strategy.

It has posted the matter for the next hearing on August 17.

The court asked the government to strictly comply with all Supreme Court directives concerning tiger reserves, seeking a detailed response on vaccinating dogs and measures to prevent infections not only in Kanha but all tiger reserves in the state.

It also directed the authorities to fill posts of wildlife veterinarians in all nine reserves at the earliest and ensure effective dog birth control measures.

Advocates Anshuman Singh and Prateek Rusia appeared for the petitioner, Mumbai-based lawyer Subrat Chakraborty.

According to the PIL, eight tigers died in April and May, including tigresses T-122 (Sunaina) and T-141 (Amahi), the latter’s four sub-adult cubs, and a young tiger T-220 (Mahavir).

The petition raised suspicion of CDV infection and sought stronger scientific surveillance, biosecurity measures and veterinary arrangements.

Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said 40 tigers have died in the state since January, which is very alarming, while 55 big cat mortalities were reported in the state last year.

Madhya Pradesh was home to 785 tigers, the highest amongst the states in India as per the big cat’s last count in 2022.