The record
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- India recorded 112 elephant deaths and 23 tiger deaths in 2025-26 from poaching, electrocution, and train accidents, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Environment.
- Electrocution was the leading cause of elephant deaths with 80 cases, followed by 22 train accidents and 10 poaching incidents; tiger deaths included 17 confirmed poaching cases.
- Overall elephant deaths from these causes have declined from 134 in 2024-25 and 121 in 2023-24, while tiger deaths fell from 32 and 57 in those years.
- Experts say the numbers remain high, pointing to habitat fragmentation and loss pushing elephants into human-dominated areas.
What to watch next
- Whether the ministry's conservation measures under Project Tiger and Elephant, including Tiger Protection Forces, reduce these deaths in coming years
- How the government addresses electrocution, the leading cause of elephant deaths
- Findings of ongoing poaching investigations linked to the tiger deaths
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Named India · Indian Institute of Science · Kirti Vardhan Singh · Lok Sabha · Ministry of Environment · National Tiger Conservation Authority · Raman Sukumar
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