Suspected respiratory infection kills 5 tigers in 9 days at Kanha Tiger Reserve

A tigress and all four of her cubs have died within a span of nine days at Kanha Tiger Reserve, with forest officials attributing the deaths to a suspected respiratory infection.

The first signs of the tragedy emerged on April 21, when a cub was found dead in the Sarhi area. A second cub’s decomposed carcass was recovered on April 24, followed by a third on April 25. All three cubs were estimated to be around one year old.

Initial assessments pointed to possible starvation. However, after the third death, officials linked the fatalities to a lung infection, shifting the focus to a possible disease outbreak.

Following the deaths, the tigress—identified as T-141—and her last surviving cub were located in a severely distressed condition. Both were tranquilized and moved to a quarantine facility in the Mukki range for urgent treatment.

Officials said the tigress, aged around 10–11 years, showed acute respiratory distress, including labored breathing and inability to feed. She died during treatment on April 29. The surviving cub, which exhibited similar symptoms and remained in critical condition, also succumbed later the same day.

“The deaths were due to a lung infection. We are still trying to ascertain how this infection impacted the tiger family. The cubs may have become extremely weak while fighting off the infection,” deputy director Prakash Kumar Verma said.

Forest authorities have preserved biological samples from the tigress for detailed examination to determine the exact cause and transmission of the infection. As a precautionary measure, the affected zone is being sanitized, and water samples from nearby sources are under testing.

The tigress had been moving with her four cubs in the Sarhi range prior to the incident. With their deaths, the reserve has recorded 5 tiger fatalities in April, raising fresh concerns over wildlife health monitoring and disease surveillance within protected habitats.

The tiger reserve is situated administratively in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, and geographically forms part of central Indian highlands.