A growing pattern of tiger attacks on humans across India is raising fresh concerns about habitat degradation and ecological imbalance, according to the State of India’s Environment 2026 (SOE 2026) report released this week.
The report, brought out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth magazine at the 2026 Anil Agarwal Dialogue in Rajasthan’s Nimli, documents 43 human deaths linked to tiger attacks between January and June 2025. During the same period in 2024, 44 people were killed.
While fatal encounters between humans and tigers are not new, experts suggest subtle shifts in predator behaviour may be underway.
Ecological Pressures and Changing Behaviour
Himanshu Nitnaware, senior correspondent at Down To Earth and contributor to the report, noted that ecological changes and degradation of habitats are influencing tiger behaviour.
“The big cat is changing its stripes,” he observed, referring to how habitat stress, human intervention and conservation pressures are reshaping behavioural patterns.
The report highlights that tigers rarely become habitual human predators. However, attacks tend to rise when animals are old, injured, unable to hunt natural prey, or when prey availability declines.
Rising Human-Tiger Proximity
One of the central concerns is increasing overlap between human settlements and tiger territories.
A recent study cited in the report indicates that nearly 40 percent of tiger habitats are shared by an estimated 60 million people across states with tiger populations.
With tiger populations within reserves reaching saturation levels, many animals are dispersing beyond protected zones. This expansion often brings them into close contact with farming communities and forest-edge villages.
Conservation biologist K. Ullas Karanth is quoted in the report as suggesting that tigers may also be gradually losing their instinctive fear of humans in certain landscapes.
Lantana Invasion and Habitat Disruption
Another ecological factor identified is the spread of Lantana camara, an invasive ornamental plant species that now covers large tracts of forests, scrublands and village commons.
The dense growth suppresses native grasses that sustain herbivores such as cheetal and sambar deer — the primary prey base for tigers.
Assistant Professor Ninad Mungi, affiliated with a Danish university, explains that lantana creates “near-perfect cover” for tigers in prey-poor landscapes, reducing visibility and altering predator-prey dynamics.
In reserves such as Bandhavgarh and Tadoba, tigers are reportedly using lantana-dominated zones outside protected areas as daytime refuge and hunting grounds.
Beyond Alarm: Need for Community-Centred Solutions
Experts caution against sensationalising the data. Tigers do not typically become compulsive human-eaters. Rather, rising conflict reflects broader ecological stress.
The report recommends community-based conservation strategies, habitat restoration and reduced human encroachment in tiger-dominated zones to mitigate future conflicts.
The findings underscore a complex reality: India’s conservation success in increasing tiger numbers must now be balanced with habitat management and human safety planning.
