📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Bernard Gagnon
Science
CDV kills female tiger Shavak in Kanha National Park, death toll reaches nine
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 19 Oct 2026, 11:15 AM
👁 13
A female tiger named Shavak died from canine distemper virus in Kanha Tiger Reserve, raising the number of tigers lost to the disease in the park to nine.
A female Bengal tiger, identified as Shavak, was found dead in Kanha National Park after testing positive for canine distemper virus (CDV). The death was confirmed by forest officials who said the virus, which primarily affects canines, has increasingly been reported in the park's tiger population.
Shavak's demise marks the ninth tiger in the reserve to succumb to CDV since the disease was first detected in the area. The cumulative loss underscores growing concerns among wildlife biologists about the virus's impact on the already vulnerable tiger numbers in Madhya Pradesh.
State forest officials have intensified surveillance and are considering emergency vaccination drives for both wild and captive carnivores in the region. They have also urged nearby villages to report any sick or dead wildlife promptly to curb further spread of the infection.
Shavak's demise marks the ninth tiger in the reserve to succumb to CDV since the disease was first detected in the area. The cumulative loss underscores growing concerns among wildlife biologists about the virus's impact on the already vulnerable tiger numbers in Madhya Pradesh.
State forest officials have intensified surveillance and are considering emergency vaccination drives for both wild and captive carnivores in the region. They have also urged nearby villages to report any sick or dead wildlife promptly to curb further spread of the infection.