Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) is currently experiencing a severe shortage of frontline forest personnel, impacting its ability to conduct essential patrolling and anti-poaching operations. This crisis has arisen 12 years after the reserve was officially designated as a tiger reserve on June 9, 2014. The lack of adequate staffing is jeopardizing the protection of the forest ecosystem within the reserve.
The crisis worsened in June when the state forest administration transferred 14 personnel of different ranks from the reserve, despite the refusal of a senior zonal forest official to relieve them in view of the existing staff shortage, officials said. Spread over 727sqkm, the reserve is facing alleged illegal occupation of 3,642 acres of forest land by farmers from 25 villages, officials said. In 2014-15, the reserve had sanctioned posts for two sub-divisional forest officers, nine range officers, six deputy range officers, 50 foresters and 60 armed forest guards. Officials said there were vacancies in one SDFO, three range officers, 28 forester and 21 armed forest guard posts, leaving a total staff availability of 49.73%. In March, the sanctioned strength was increased to 56 foresters and 64 armed forest guards. However, the reserve still had vacancies in one SDFO, three range officers, three deputy range officers, 21 forester and 47 armed forest guard posts, officials said, resulting in a total staff availability of just 49.61%. The number of tigers in the reserve rose from 25 in 2014 to 65 in 2018 and 71 in 2022, according to a National Tiger Conservation Authority’s tiger estimation report. An internal estimate by PTR last year put the reserve’s tiger population at more than 80, excluding an estimated 35% of tigers that were found in agricultural areas around the reserve, officials said. Officials said 63 people were killed in tiger attacks between Feb 23, 2016, and Feb 11, 2026, while three farmers were killed in elephant attacks and two in leopard attacks during the period, taking the total number of human fatalities to 68.
In the Banjaria forest beat of the Haripur range, the width of the forest corridor has narrowed to about 100m, while in some other pockets it is between 200m and 500m, despite the minimum official width of the reserve in these areas said to be between three and nine kilometres. The reserve is currently operating with about half of its sanctioned frontline workforce, leaving personnel overstretched across its ranges. The shortage has also complicated efforts to deal with recurring human-wildlife conflict and protect the reserve’s tiger population, turning what was meant to be a flagship conservation haven into a vulnerable habitat pushed to the brink. Many of the sanctioned posts for the field forest force were created nearly four decades ago. Despite the galloping growth in human population during this period — which directly resulted in increasing pressure from illegal encroachments on forest lands, combined with unlawful human infiltration into protected forest regions allegedly for exploitation of prohibited forest produce — the Uttar Pradesh govt revised the number of posts by a negligible margin. The villages around the reserve have also borne the brunt of human-wildlife conflict.
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“In the common interest of the reserve’s forests and wildlife, the 14 forest personnel transferred from the state level cannot be relieved from their present posts as the reserve is already facing an acute staff shortage,” said PP Singh, chief conservator of forests, Bareilly zone, who also holds the additional charge of PTR field director. Barahi and Deorania ranges are among the worst affected, with the range officer’s post vacant in both. Haripur and Deorania have only one armed forest guard each. The reserve is also facing shortages of arms and ammunition and does not have a Special Tiger Protection Force. Authorities have repeatedly urged the state govt to fill the vacant posts, even if the sanctioned strength cannot be increased immediately. Download the TOI App.