Karnataka which accounts for one of the highest number of Royal Bengal Tigers in the country has seen 37 tiger deaths since 2013. According to official statistics provided in four years out of 37 tiger deaths 33 tigers died of natural reasons. According to B Ramanath Rai, Forest Minister of Karnataka the 33 tiger deaths occurred under natural circumstances and four tiger died due to unnatural death. Replying to Tara Anuradha of BJP in the ongoing Winter Session of the Legislative Council at Belagavi, the Minister said these deaths have been reported from Bandipur, Nagarhole, BRT tiger reserves and also in Hunsur in Mysuru division and Virajpet division in the State. In his reply he said in 2013-14, three tigers have died naturally; in 2014-15 there were 13 natural deaths and two unnatural deaths; in 2015-16 there were eight natural deaths and one unnatural death and in 2016-17, nine big cats have died due to natural reasons and one due to unnatural causes. He said fighting among tigers over territory, poisoning, starvation due to injuries sustained during fights, gunshot wounds, starvation leading to severe ketosis and toxemia, parasitic pneumonia, parasitic enteritis, old age and snake bite were some of the reasons for tiger deaths in forests. One tiger was shot dead by forest officials for attacking humans in Hediyala range of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Karnataka with Nilgiri biosphere one of the critical ecological hotspots in the world houses many species which include the big cats. Categorised as endangered by the global body, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), tigers are poached for their body parts, considered an aphrodisiac in some countries and used for occult rituals in many places of India for ensuring “prosperity”. Tiger skins are also used as decorative pieces by collectors across the world. As per the last tiger census released early last year, Karnataka topping the charts with the presence of 406 tigers. However, the reserve-wise list shows that 1,517 sq km of forest patches of Bandipur — which now houses the second largest population of tigers in the world — and Nagarahole Tiger Reserve have 221 tigers in their confines.