A tragic wildlife incident unfolded in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratapani Tiger Reserve, where a tiger was killed after being struck by a train while chasing its prey. The collision occurred late Tuesday night between Budhni and Midghat—an accident-prone railway stretch that has repeatedly proved deadly for wildlife in the region. Located about 95 km from Raisen district headquarters, this area falls under the Obaidullaganj Range, a hotspot of human–animal conflict intersecting with expanding railway infrastructure.

Forest officials confirmed on Thursday that the tiger was dragged nearly 25 feet after getting entangled in the engine of a special train. Divisional Forest Officer Hemant Raikwar relayed details from Ratapani Reserve Superintendent Mayank Raj, noting that a preliminary investigation suggests the tiger may have been in pursuit of prey when it crossed the tracks, unaware of the approaching train.

According to officials, the injured tiger let out loud roars for several minutes following the collision, alerting railway workers who then informed forest authorities. Despite immediate attention, the animal could not be saved. The carcass was later disposed of after a post-mortem examination in the presence of Chief Conservator of Forests Ashok Kumar.

This incident marks the second tiger death in the Ratapani area within a week and the fifth within a year, raising concerns about wildlife safety measures and the increasing vulnerability of animals in the region. The Budhni–Midghat track, forest officers said, continues to pose a significant threat to wildlife due to its location within a movement corridor used by tigers, leopards, and other species.

Statistics from the forest department paint a troubling picture: in the last decade, 10 tigers, 15 leopards, two bears, and several other animals have died along the Budhni–Barkheda railway line. These numbers highlight a persistent conflict between conservation zones and railway operations, especially where high-speed or frequent train movement is not supported by adequate protective measures such as underpasses, overpasses, fencing, or early-warning systems.

Ratapani Tiger Reserve is one of Madhya Pradesh’s prominent tiger landscapes, alongside Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Pench, and Panna. The state is currently the national leader in tiger population. According to the Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India – 2022 report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India, Madhya Pradesh hosts 785 tigers, the highest among all Indian states, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.

Despite this conservation success on paper, incidents like the Ratapani train collision underscore the challenges of protecting tigers in increasingly fragmented habitats. As reserves become more interconnected with human infrastructure—roads, railways, and expanding settlements—wildlife faces rising threats that require coordinated solutions between forest, railway, and infrastructure agencies.

The latest tiger death has once again triggered calls from conservationists to implement urgent mitigation measures, strengthen monitoring on vulnerable track stretches, and ensure that development projects account for ecological sensitivity. Without such steps, experts warn, the state’s hard-won gains in tiger conservation could be gradually undone by preventable tragedies such as the one witnessed this week.