After roaring out loud, Madhya Pradesh lost 23 Tigers in 2019

New Delhi, Jan 01: India lost 81 tigers in 2019 with the highest number of deaths recorded in the tiger state of India, Madhya Pradesh.

Twenty-three big cats reportedly died in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra, according to the figures collated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

Seven big cats died due to poaching and as many due to natural causes in Madhya Pradesh, the website stated, listing the last tiger death on December 16 in Uttarakhand.

The tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh, possibly highest among states, might have set off alarms bells given that it had regained the tiger-state tag with 526 big cats.

In Tiger Census 2018, Madhya Pradesh regained its 'Tiger State' status with the highest number of 526 big cats, closely followed by Karnataka, 524. Uttarakhand stood at number 3 with 442 tigers.

The previous census, Karnataka led the states with 406; Madhya Pradesh had 308; Uttarakhand, 340; and Tamil Nadu had 229.

MP houses six major reserves for the national animal and is often called as the 'tiger state'. Prominent among them are Bandhavgarh, Pench and Kanha tiger reserves.