5 tigers dead in 9 days at Madhya Pradesh’s Kanha, virus suspected

A serious health scare has emerged from Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, where a tigress and her four cubs have died within a span of nine days, raising concerns about a possible viral outbreak.

As per reports, forest officials said tigress T-141 and her cubs, located in the Sarhi range, died under unusual circumstances. Initial findings suggest the involvement of the highly contagious Canine Distemper Virus, though detailed forensic analysis is still underway.

The sequence of deaths reportedly began on April 21, when the first cub was found dead near Amahi Nullah. Over the next few days, two more cubs were discovered lifeless in nearby areas, with the third recovered on April 26.

On April 27, the tigress and her last surviving cub were found in a weakened condition and shifted to the Mukki quarantine facility for treatment. While both briefly showed signs of recovery and even resumed feeding, their condition deteriorated rapidly soon after.

The tigress died the following morning, and the final cub succumbed later the same day bringing the total loss to five tigers from the same family in just over a week.

Senior forest officer L Krishnamoorthy, has reportedly confirmed the deaths. Authorities are now closely monitoring the situation to prevent any further spread and to determine the exact cause behind the sudden fatalities.