MUMBAI, July 5 -- As many as 22 tigers and 40 leopards died in Maharashtra in the first four months of the year, the total number of tiger deaths since 2022 clocking 129. This was revealed by state forest minister Ganesh Naik in the state assembly on Friday. He noted that hunting was one of several reasons for these deaths. The death of wild animals, especially tigers and leopards, was raised by legislators in the lower house on Friday. They alleged that human intervention was drawing them out of the forest. They also sought to know the action taken by the state government to protect these animals. Legislators such as Dhananjay Munde, Santosh Danve, Manoj Jamsutkar and Sudhir Mungantiwar raised the matter. In his written reply, Naik told the lower House that 22 tigers had lost their lives between January and April. He said 13 had died of natural causes, four due to electric shock, and another four owing to accidents by trains and other vehicles. The reason for one death is unknown. "Similarly, 40 leopards died during the same period this year. Among them, three were hunted down, eight died due to natural causes, and 20 owing to accidents by trains and other vehicles. The reason for the death of nine leopards could not be ascertained, Naik said. He further said the state government is investigating the deaths of 107 tigers between January 2022 and December 2024, and that reports are awaited. He added that 129 tigers have died in the state since 2022. The forest minister claimed that the number of wild animals has risen due to the state government's conservation efforts. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), India recorded 14 tiger deaths in the first 20 days of January this year, with Maharashtra alone accounting for the highest toll-eight fatalities. Most of these deaths occurred outside protected areas, attributed to poaching, accidents and infectious diseases, officials from the state forest department said. At the same time, the recent Status of Tigers in India report by NTCA said there was an increase in Maharashtra's tiger population and sightings in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. However, a spike in deaths has posed a challenge for the forest department, which must ensure tiger safety beyond protected zones, it stated....